Listening to or playing music in old age can substantially reduce the risk of dementia, according to a study conducted in Australia on a sample of more than 10,800 elderly people, Xinhua news agency reports.
The new research found that people aged over 70 who always listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who never, rarely or only sometimes listened to music, according to a statement released by Monash University in Melbourne, which led the study.
Those who always listened to music also had a 17 percent lower incidence of cognitive impairment, as well as higher scores on tests of general cognition and episodic memory, skills people use to remember everyday events, the study found.
Playing a musical instrument was associated with a 35% reduction in the risk of dementia, according to the study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Participants who regularly listened to and performed music had a 33 percent lower risk of dementia and a 22 percent lower rate of cognitive impairment, the study found.
This study used data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial, a landmark research project investigating the effects of low-dose aspirin on the health status of older persons, as well as from the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons sub-study.
Researcher Emma Jaffa from Monash University said the results suggest that ‘musical activities may be an accessible strategy for maintaining cognitive health in older people, although a causal link cannot be established’.
Population aging is a global health problem, as longer life spans have led to an increase in age-related diseases such as dementia and cognitive decline, researchers said.
“Evidence suggests that brain aging is not just based on age and genetics, but can be influenced by your own environmental and lifestyle choices,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Joanne Ryan from Monash University.
In the absence of a currently available treatment for dementia, lifestyle interventions such as listening to and/or playing music can promote cognitive health and could help prevent or delay the onset of the disease, Joanne Ryan said. AGERPRES
