According to a recent Canadian study, Alzheimer’s and dementia symptoms may be delayed up to four years in individuals who are bilingual (speak more than one language). The study, detailed in an article titled, “Bilingualism Delays Onset of Dementia,”
by David Ljunggren, says that the effort it takes your brain to communicate daily in more than one language stimulates the blood flow and healthy nerve connections in the brain that it needs to stave off the disease.
Professor Ellen Bialystok of Toronto’s York University says she’s “dazzled” by the results of their research. According to Bialystok in an interview with CTV, if you are bilingual, “…you are engaging parts of your brain, parts of your mind that are active and need that kind of constant exercise and activity, and with that experience (it) stays more robust.”
The study consisted of 184 elderly test subjects, roughly half of which spoke more than one language. In the course of the four year study, the average age of dementia onset in the monolingual group was found to be 71.4 years. And the bilinguals? About 75.5 years.
Though the researchers were careful to point out that bilingualism doesn’t prevent one from getting Alzheimer’s or dementia altogether, these findings serve as more proof of recent research that says individuals with active brains have more of a “protective shield” against dementia than those who don’t.
For more information about the Canadian fight against Alzheimer’s and dementia, please check out the Alzheimer society of Canada website.
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