FYI.
The 5 jobs that mean you’re more likely to get dementia – are you at risk?
STAYING active has long been touted by health experts as a way to maintain both a healthy body and mind.
But new research suggests that people working jobs that require high levels of physical activity could be at greater risk of dementia and cognitive impairment.
Around 900,000 Brits are currently thought to be living with dementia.
The study by the Norwegian National Centre of Ageing and Health, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and the Butler Columbia Aging Center found that people toiling at physically exhausting jobs for long periods of time could be at greater risk of the brain robbing disease.
Authors gave examples of physically demanding jobs, including:
- Salespeople - retail and other
- Nursing assistants
- Care assistants
- Crop farmers
- Animal producers
"Consistently working in an occupation with intermediate or high occupational physical activity was linked to an increased risk of cognitive impairment, indicating the importance of developing strategies for individuals in physically demanding occupations to prevent cognitive impairment," the study authors wrote.
They classed physically demanding jobs as ones that "require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials".
It follows research suggesting that spending more than 10 hours a day sitting down "rapidly" increases your risk of dementia.
Using one of the world's largest population-based studies of dementia - the HUNT4 70+ Study - researchers examined how occupational physical activity between the ages of 33 and 65 was linked to a risk of developing dementia and mild cognitive impairment after the age of 70.
