When used in moderation, the internet may benefit older Americans’ overall brain health. According to a study that was published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, internet users had a lower risk of developing dementia.
Over an eight-year period, researchers observed 18,154 adults between the ages of 50 and 65. When the study began, the participants did not have dementia. On a scale from zero to more than eight hours per day, the study tracked how long older adults spent online.
Ways to minimize Dementia
When compared to people who did not use the internet at all on a regular basis, those who were using the internet at the start of the study had half the risk of developing dementia.
Participants were questioned about: Do you frequently use the Internet, also known as the World Wide Web, to send and receive email or for any other purpose, such as making purchases, looking up information, or making reservations for travel?”
According to the findings, people who used the internet for two hours or less per day had a lower risk of dementia than people who did not use the internet at all.
There is, however, nothing such as excess of anything. In fact, researchers found that seniors who spent six to eight hours a day online were more likely to develop dementia, despite the fact that additional research is required.
“Being a normal web client for longer timeframes in late adulthood was related with postponed mental disability, albeit additional proof is required on possible unfriendly impacts of unnecessary use,” the creators wrote in the review.
“The effect of excessive surfing on the risk of memory is unclear, given the fact that almost all of older research on adults show that web use is linked to improved cognitive health.”
According to Columbia University, nearly 10% of adults in the United States over the age of 65 have dementia, and another 22% have mild cognitive impairment.
