FRIDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Having an intellectually
demanding job that nurtures thinking abilities may result in better
cognitive abilities during retirement, regardless of intelligence,
education level or age, a Duke University Medical Center study
suggests.
"Our society is expected to live and work longer than previous
generations, so we sought to understand how an individual's
occupation affected cognition later in life," study author Guy
Potter, an assistant professor of psychiatry, said in a prepared
statement.
The study included 1,036 male twins who were given a test to
determine their general learning abilities when they joined the
U.S. military in the early 1940s. The participants had follow-up
assessments of their cognitive status every three or four years
after they were in their 60s.
The Duke researchers found that cognitive benefits associated
with intellectually demanding jobs were greatest among people who
had lower scores on intelligence tests in their youth, while
physically demanding work was associated with a decrease in
cognitive performance later in life.
The study was published in the May issue of
Neurology.
"Although the intellectual and physical demands of an
individual's job are not the largest factors influencing cognitive
performance as we age, this study illustrates how a number of
smaller influences like these can accumulate over the life span to
have a positive or negative effect on brain health in later life,"
Potter said. "Unlike age or intellect, job demands are something
that an individual can potentially modify to optimize their
cognitive reserve."
"Most of us spend a significant portion of our adult life at
work, and we may actually be benefiting from the intellectual
demands placed upon us," he added.
Potter and his colleagues made special mention about the finding
that manual labor may be associated with poorer cognitive
performance later in life.
"Physical exertion has health benefits in its own right. It is
important for people to find a place for both mental and physical
activity in their lives, and for researchers to offer insights
about how this can best be achieved," Potter said.
More information
The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging offers
cognitive vitality tips for older adults.
