Study Finds Hard Physical Work Raises Risk for Dementia

A Danish study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports finds that heavy physical labor can raise the risk of dementia, reports Big Think . The researchers analyzed 50 years' worth of data from some 5,000 Danish men, and those who reported working physically demanding jobs developed dementia 55 percent more often than their peers working desk jobs. This accounts for differences in education, socioeconomic levels, drinking habits, and other variables that could compound memory loss. Jobs involving some physical activity but which were less strenuous entailed less risk. The researchers suspect that the operating mechanism may dovetail with the potentially negative impact of occupational physical activity on the cardiovascular system. Moreover, among Danes, men working in physically intensive occupations are more likely to smoke, drink, weigh too much, remain unmarried, and end up in lower socioeconomic levels — all of which can contribute to memory loss. The study also reconfirms earlier findings suggesting that light exercise lowers the odds of dementia somewhat.