The Caring Corner®

Durham Healthcare Information: Does Your Job Protect You From Alzheimer’s?

September 22, 2016

Taking care of yourself is an important part of aging and healthcare. It involves your occupation, diet and fitness. Depending on the type of occupation you have, you may be at a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Sitting at a desk all day can be dangerous to your health, but it all depends on what you do while you are sitting there. A stimulating job can make a big impact on avoiding Alzheimer’s. Higher education combined with mental stimulation in your occupation can offset the ill effects of dementia. Jobs found to preserve healthy brain function: teacher, lawyer, manager, engineer, physicist, physician, dentist and pharmacist.

 

A recent study found that individuals with a lifetime history of mental stimulation with jobs that include mentoring and dealing with complex concepts and information build-up a so called “cognitive reserve”. This reflects a stronger connection between brain cells. However, when combined with a diet including processed meats, white bread, sweets and potatoes, it could put you at a disadvantage. The cognitive reserve helped to shield people somewhat from a poor diet, but they started out at a disadvantage to people in similar stimulating jobs that ate better. People in the study with stimulating professions were better off than those with poor diets in less stimulating jobs. The study found there is a cost to eating poorly.

 

 

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