Secret to reducing dementia risk? Marry someone intelligent

Men can help to protect themselves from developing dementia by finding an intelligent partner, according to comments by an Aberdeen University professorDuring 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.’The talk was looking at a range of factors and behaviours that could help to have a protective effect on brain health and reduce the risk of dementia.In the past, 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.It follows a study which discovered that people who were less likely to develop dementia tended to be ‘highly intelligent’ and in ‘high-powered jobs’.Professor Whalley also went on to point out that while it becomes difficult to change your dementia likelihood ‘trajectory’ past the age of 40, that learning new skills, such as a language, could potentially ‘give you a five-year buffer against dementia’.Another speaker at the talk, Professor Margaret Rayman, of the University of Surrey, also highlighted the importance of diet and recommended over-50s take vitamin B12 supplements.For more information on whether dementia can be prevented, click here.Source: Daily Mail