Health · Medical Research · 5 hrs ago
An extra year of school was linked to fewer dementia diagnoses later
A UK school rule change kept some teenagers in school for an extra year by raising the minimum leaving age from 15 to 16.
Researchers studied more than 100,000 UK residents, including people affected by the change, using health data from the UK Biobank.
The extra year was linked to nearly one percentage point fewer Alzheimer’s and dementia cases over the following decades.
The reduction was stronger among people with genes linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
The findings suggest education may help reduce dementia risk, at a time when few prevention options are available.
The study only followed participants to age 65, so it cannot show how the extra schooling affects risk later in old age.
Researchers will keep tracking the group to learn more about the long-term effects.
A study linked an extra year of secondary school in the United Kingdom to fewer Alzheimer’s and dementia diagnoses later in life.
Researchers reported that the extra year was associated with nearly a 1 percentage point reduction in cases over the following 50 years.
The study examined medical data from more than 100,000 UK Biobank participants and followed them to age 65.
The researchers said the apparent protective effect was stronger among people with genes linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
The sources differ on the year of the school reform: Infobae says 1957, while Phys.org’s headline says 1972.
- Who
- Researchers studying UK Biobank participants, including lead researcher Silvia Barcellos.
- What
- An extra year of school was linked to fewer Alzheimer’s and dementia diagnoses later in life.
- When
- The school reform took effect in 1957 according to Infobae; Phys.org’s headline gives 1972.
- Where
- United Kingdom.
- Why
- Researchers examined whether education may affect later dementia risk; the sources do not state a definitive reason for the link.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The UK raised the minimum school-leaving age from 15 to 16, according to Infobae.
The study was reported as published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Study participants
- More than 100,000 UK residents in the UK Biobank
- School-leaving age
- Raised from 15 to 16, according to Infobae
- Effect linked to extra schooling
- Nearly 1 percentage point fewer Alzheimer’s and dementia cases over 50 years
- Follow-up age
- 65
- Reform year
- Infobae says 1957; Phys.org’s headline says 1972
2 sources
What people are saying
The message here has less to do with the specific numbers and more with the nature of the connection between education and dementia. There are few preventive options available, so even one could make a big difference