How bringing up daughters could help protect you from dementia
- For confidential advice call the Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456.
- Alzheimer’s Association symptoms checker May help detect signs of dementia
Raising a daughter may reduce the risk of dementia.
Scientists have found that older parents who have daughters have sharper minds and better memories than those who have sons.
They believe this is because girls tend to provide better emotional support to their parents, which reduces their social isolation, a major risk factor for the incurable condition.
Nearly one million people in the UK have dementia, and it is the country’s biggest killer, claiming more than 75,000 lives a year.
Loneliness and lack of family support are known to increase risks.
Researchers at Hohai University in China analyzed data on the cognitive functions of hundreds of older people who participated in a health study in 2018.
Declining cognitive abilities is a warning sign that dementia may be on the way. Key signs include difficulty processing information, poor attention span, and memory fading.
The study analyzed brain activity data of elderly parents and compared how many sons and daughters they had.
Scientists believe that daughters tend to provide better emotional support to their parents, which reduces social isolation, a major risk factor for the incurable condition (stock photo)
Loneliness and lack of family support are known to increase dementia risks ( stock photo )
The findings, published in the Journal of Women and Aging, revealed that older parents who raised daughters rather than sons scored significantly higher for brain health.
And the greatest benefits were seen in families with only one daughter, possibly due to greater continuity of care.
The researchers said: ‘Daughters improve their parents’ cognitive levels by providing relatively more emotional support.
‘And the impact on aging mothers’ cognitive abilities is stronger than the impact on aging fathers.’
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you note your symptoms before talking to your doctor.
The findings come after the Daily Mail partnered with the Alzheimer’s Society in a bid to beat dementia. The Beating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease to increase early detection, increase research and improve care.
The NHS aims to identify at least two in three people living with the disease so they can get the help and treatment they need.
But rates collapsed during the pandemic and never recovered; Tens of thousands of people had to struggle alone.
Last week, researchers suggested life-changing treatments for the disease could emerge, or even be cured, within the next five to ten years.
Professor Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Brain Sciences Discovery Center at the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘I am very optimistic that in the short term we will have treatments that can significantly slow or stop the progression of the disease.
‘In the long term we should be able to prevent dementia altogether and hopefully find a cure.’
