For the elderly, the Internet is a boon. It has been shown in a scientific study to reduce the risk of dementia by almost 50%.
Older adults who use the Internet regularly are half as likely to develop dementia compared to those who do not use the Internet or use it occasionally. However, scientists warn that we are talking about elderly people who use the Internet for no more than two hours a day – excessive use of the network, on the contrary, can negatively affect well-being, informs medical news today.
A large-scale study by scientists from New York University lasted for 8 years – tracked the cognitive health of 18,154 older people, aged 50 to 64, who did not have dementia.
The researchers found that regular web users had a 43% lower risk of developing dementia, and 5% of participants were diagnosed with the disease before the end of the study. The report on the results of the work states:
“People who used the Internet for up to 2 hours a day showed the lowest risk of developing dementia.”
The authors note that people who did not use the Internet at all or spent more than 2 hours on it were at risk of developing the disease. Pacific Institute of Neurology Professor Scott Kaiser says:
“Using the Internet for more than 2 hours a day does not protect against dementia, but potentially harms.”
The study did not record what the participants did online. The researchers suggested that the results of the study indicate that searching for information on the Internet or using the Internet for other purposes stimulates the brain and makes it work, thus protecting cells from damage and, as a result, reducing the risk of developing dementia.
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