Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study finds
Reading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition.Dementia is one of the world’s biggest health threats.The number of people living with the condition is forecast to triple to more than 150 million globally by 2050, and experts say it presents a big and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems in every community, country and continent.US researchers found that engaging in intellectually stimulating activities throughout life, such as reading, writing or learning a new language, was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, and slower cognitive decline.The study author Andrea Zammit, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said the discovery suggested cognitive health in later life was “strongly influenced” by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments.
“Our findings are encouraging, suggesting that consistently engaging in a variety of mentally stimulating activities throughout life may make a difference in cognition.Public investments that expand access to enriching environments, like libraries and early education programs designed to spark a lifelong love of learning, may help reduce the incidence of dementia.”Researchers tracked 1,939 people with an average age of 80 who did not have dementia at the start of the study.They were followed for an average of eight years.Participants completed surveys about cognitive activities and learning resources during three stages.
Early enrichment, before 18, included the frequency of being read to and reading books, access to newspapers and atlases in the home, and learning a foreign language for more than five years,Middle-age enrichment included income level at 40, household resources such as magazine subscriptions, dictionaries and library cards and the frequency of activities such as visiting a museum or library,Later-life enrichment, starting at an average age of 80, included the frequency of reading, writing and playing games and total income from social security, retirement and other sources,In total, 551 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease and 719 developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) during the study, which was published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology,Researchers compared those with the highest level of cognitive enrichment, the top 10%, with those with the lowest level, the bottom 10%.
Of those with the highest level, 21% developed Alzheimer’s.Among those with the lowest, the figure was 34%.After adjusting for factors such as age, sex and education, researchers found higher scores in lifetime enrichment were associated with a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 36% lower risk of MCI.People with the highest lifetime enrichment developed Alzheimer’s disease at an average age of 94, compared with 88 for those with the lowest level of enrichment – more than a five-year delay.Researchers found people with the highest lifetime enrichment developed MCI at an average age of 85, compared with 78 for those with the lowest level of enrichment – a seven-year delay.
Researchers also looked at participants who died during the study and had autopsies.Those with higher lifetime enrichment had better memory and thinking skills and slower decline prior to death, the study found.A limitation was that participants reported details about their early and midlife experiences later in life, so may not have remembered everything accurately.The study also did not prove that lifelong learning reduces the risk of dementia, as it only showed an association.Dr Isolde Radford, a senior policy manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, who was not involved with the study, said the findings highlighted that dementia was not an inevitable part of ageing.
“This new research shows that staying mentally active throughout life can cut the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by nearly 40%,” she said.“This supports what we already know about the preventive steps people can take to reduce their risk of developing dementia.”
Is it possible to develop AI without the US?
Hello, and welcome to TechScape. Today in tech, we’re discussing the Persian Gulf countries making a play for sovereignty over their own artificial intelligence in response to an unstable United States. That, and US tech giants’ plans to spend more than $600bn this year alone.I spent most of last week in Doha at the Web Summit Qatar, the Gulf’s new version of the popular annual tech conference. One theme stood out among the speeches I watched and the conversations I had: sovereignty
Apple and Google pledge not to discriminate against third-party apps in UK deal
Apple and Google have committed to avoid discriminating against apps that compete with their own products under an agreement with the UK’s competition watchdog, as they avoided legally binding measures for their mobile platforms.The US tech companies have vowed to be more transparent about vetting third-party apps before letting them on their app stores and not discriminate against third-party apps in app search rankings.They have also agreed not to use data from third-party apps unfairly, such as using information about app updates to tweak their own offerings.Apple has also committed to giving app developers an easier means of requesting use of its features such as the digital wallet, and live translation for AirPod users.The commitments have been secured as part of a new regulatory regime overseen by the Competition and Markets Authority, (CMA), which has the power to impose changes on how Apple and Google operate their mobile platforms after deciding last year that they had “substantial, entrenched” market power
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Apple’s compact workout earbuds revamped
Apple’s revamped compact workout Beats earbuds stick to a winning formula, while slimming down and improving comfort.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.The new Powerbeats Fit are the direct successors to 2022’s popular Beats Fit Pro, costing £200 (€230/$200/A$330)
Files cast light on Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to cryptocurrency
Millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein have brought to light his ties to the highest echelons of the cryptocurrency industry.Documents published last week by the US Department of Justice reveal Epstein bankrolled the “principal home and funding source” for bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, during its nascent stages; he also invested $3m in Coinbase in 2014, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, and cut a check that same year to Blockstream, a prominent bitcoin-focused technology firm. Both crypto startups accepted Epstein’s investments in 2014 – six years after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor.Despite murmurings among crypto communities online about the need for a sector-level reckoning around the Epstein files’ revelations, most industry players predict few consequences for crypto companies or the sector writ large. Some see Epstein as a “skeptical investor” who pulled out of his crypto investments prematurely; others go so far as to claim Epstein was attempting to “undermine bitcoin”
EU threatens to act over Meta blocking rival AI chatbots from WhatsApp
The EU has threatened to take action against the social media company Meta, arguing it has blocked rival chatbots from using its WhatsApp messaging platform.The European Commission said on Monday that WhatsApp Business – which is designed to be used by businesses to interact with customers – appears to be in breach of EU antitrust rules.An upgrade to the messaging platform last October means the only AI assistant available to use on WhatsApp is Meta AI, the agent developed by the US tech group, which also owns Facebook and Instagram.The European Commission said Meta was the dominant player for messaging in the EU market and was “abusing” this position by “refusing access to WhatsApp to other businesses”.That position may cause “serious and irreparable harm on the market”, the commission added
Logitech MX Master 4 review: the best work mouse you can buy
Logitech’s latest productivity power-house updates one of the greatest mice of all time with smoother materials, a repair-friendly design and a haptic motor for phone-like vibrations on your desktop.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.The MX Master 4 is the latest evolution in a line of pioneering mice that dates back more than 20 years and has long been the mouse to beat for everything but hardcore PC gaming
Jeane Freeman obituary
‘Jellyfish’ and ‘doormat’: why is Keir Starmer so deeply unpopular?
Vetting process for Mandelson needed more awkward questions, expert says
Former top civil servant warns ‘more due diligence’ to be done over replacement of Chris Wormald
Labour bill would stop ‘dodgy front companies’ making political donations
Aide linked to sex offender ‘did not give full account’ before he was given peerage, PM says