A new study in The New England Journal of Medicine has indicated that dementia risk appear to be lower for those with a high school diploma. The authors speculate that the link comes from the fact that those with higher levels of education tend to live healthier lives which helps reduce the chances of developing the disease. Cardiovascular health in particular has been shown to reduce the risk for certain types of dementia although Alzheimer’s Disease did not show the same signs of improvement. One problem that was acknowledged by the study is that the sample used to reach the conclusion was not demographically diverse although one study of African-Americans also showed a decline in dementia though they still are the group worst affected by the disease. The biggest impact of this study is that it could cause a reevaluation of projections for dementia suffers which have been assumed to drastically grow in number as the Baby Boomer’s reach retirement. Let us hope this connection can help educate people to avoid the bad habits that can increase the chance of suffering from this terrible affliction.
See Pam Belluck, Education May Cut Dementia Risk, Study Finds, The New York Times, February 10, 2016.
Special thanks to Lewis Saret for bringing this article to my attention.
