London - If a man wants to live a long life he should marry an intelligent woman, according to scientists.
Dementia experts said that having an intelligent partner can act as “buffer” to the disease.
By studying the health of identical twins, they concluded that a person’s environment can seriously affect their chance of developing dementia.
People who had physical signs of the disease showing up on their brain scans but developed no symptoms were generally “highly intelligent” and “in high-powered jobs” with “a lot of money in the bank,” the scientists claimed.
During a talk called Dementia: How can we Protect Ourselves, Professor Lawrence Whalley, emeritus professor of mental health in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, said: “The thing a boy is never told he needs to do if he wants to live a longer life – but what he should do – is marry an intelligent woman. There is no better buffer than intelligence.”
A series of studies have found that intellectual stimulation that keeps the brain active can help to stave off the symptoms of dementia.
Previous research has focused on the benefits of activities like doing crosswords, reading and visiting museums – but Professor Whalley’s comments suggest that having a partner who provides interesting and challenging conversation could also help prevent Alzheimer’s.
However the death of a family member when you are only a child can increase your chance of developing the disease 80 years on, the audience at the Oxford Literary Festival heard.
Professor Whalley explained: “Studies have shown that the death of a mother before the age of five is a very important risk factor for dementia in later life.
“But positive parenting as a child, a longer time in education and a good childhood environment all have a huge buffering effect against dementia 70 or 80 years later.
“Environmental factors in your childhood such as your father’s job status have an effect, as does your mother’s diet during pregnancy.Your childhood IQ, your job income, your educational attainments all have an effect in later life.”
He added: “If you look at the kind of people who should have dementia but don’t show symptoms, they are highly intelligent people in high-powered jobs. They also have a lot of money in the bank.”
He went on to point out that it becomes difficult to change your “trajectory” past the age of 40, but that learning new skills, such as a language, can “give you a five-year buffer against dementia”. Changing your job between the age of 25 and 35 is also an effective way to “change your trajectory”, he claimed.
Fellow speaker Professor Margaret Rayman, of the University of Surrey, highlighted the importance of diet and recommended over-50s take vitamin B12 supplements.
Professor Rayman said people can only have 10g of chocolate and 100ml of red or white wine each day before it begins to have an “adverse effect” on cognitive function.
Meanwhile, one serving of blueberries or two servings of strawberries a week will have a “positive effect” on fighting cognitive decline, while eating vegetables that have been frozen while fresh can be better for your brain than those that have been languishing in the fridge.
Daily Mail