“Regular Internet Use May Reduce Risk of Dementia in Elderly: Study”

CNN Indonesia

Monday, May 22 2023 02:16 WIB

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

One study advises you to help your parents or grandparents who ask how to use social media.

Not only to be well prepared, but also because helping older people (elderly) surf the internet can help their brain health.

A study published Wednesday (3/5) in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that older people who regularly use the internet are less likely to develop dementia.

The researchers noticed this association after about eight years of tracking 18,154 adults between the ages of 50 and 65 who did not have dementia when the study period began.

The study participants were part of the Health and Retirement Study, a multidisciplinary data set from a representative sample of people in the United States (US) collected by the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration.

Each participant was asked a simple question: “Do you regularly use the World Wide Web, or the Internet, to send and receive e-mail or for other purposes, such as making purchases, searching for information, or making travel reservations?”

Quoting CNN, those who used the internet at the start of the study had about half the risk of developing dementia compared to people who weren’t internet users.

The researchers also looked at how often the participants used the internet, from not at all to more than eight hours a day.

Those who used the internet for about two hours or less a day had the lowest risk of dementia compared to those who did not use the internet, who had a “significantly higher estimated risk.”

Researchers note that people who use the internet six to eight hours a day have a higher risk of developing dementia. However, they said the findings were not statistically significant and further research was needed.

Scientists still don’t know what causes dementia, so the new research can’t pinpoint a link between internet use and brain health. But one of the study’s authors

“Online engagement can help develop and maintain cognitive reserve, which could ultimately offset brain aging and reduce the risk of dementia,” said study co-author and professor of global public health at the School of Global Public Health, Virginia W. Chang.

The research also didn’t examine what people browse online.

While the internet is filled with cat videos and conspiracy theories, it can also be intellectually stimulating. Some studies show that intellectual stimulation can help prevent dementia.

For example, a 2020 study found a link between cognitively stimulating jobs and a lower risk of dementia.

As we get older, the brain’s processing speed will slow down a bit. But in a healthy brain, routine memory and knowledge remain stable.

People with dementia have problems with routine brain functions such as making new memories, solving problems, and completing normal tasks.

This new research isn’t the first to find that internet use can help reduce the risk of cognitive decline. A 2020 study found only less cognitive decline in male internet users. Other studies have seen no gender differences.

Several studies have also shown benefits from training older adults to use computers. The research stated that the internet can connect them positively with other people and help them learn information or skills.

A study also shows that most older adults use the internet most often for basic tasks such as e-mail, news, or online banking.

However, more and more people are learning newer social platforms like TikTok. While research shows that learning new skills can protect them from dementia.

The use of social networking sites by the elderly can also improve their relationships with others and reduce loneliness.

Several studies have shown that older people who are lonely are three times more likely to develop dementia than those who say they feel socially connected to others.

(del/chs)