4 ms·

It wouldn't protect you completely but doing intellectually stimulating things is supposed to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's.

• Barrin92 6y ago
  I've always wondered if this simply isn't a case of having the causality wrong, that is to say people in old age who don't have alzheimer symptoms are more intellectually engaged.
  • phaemon 6y ago
    Well today is your lucky day, because you can cease your wondering! The answer is "no". In fact, any question you have that relies on thousands of doctors and professors in the field missing something obvious is always "no" (cf "never a compiler error").
    • perl4ever 6y ago
      It's not clear to me precisely what you are intending to communicate. Are you scoffing at the idea that Alzheimer's symptoms could reduce intellectual engagement? Or just at the idea that experts could have missed it in favor of the opposite relationship?
      • phaemon 6y ago
        The latter of course. Everyone who has given more than 10 seconds of thought to the issue has considered the opposite relationship because it's so obvious.
• poulsbohemian 6y ago
  There's likely benefit in staying mentally sharp, but this is true at any age. I'm just a lay person, not a clinician or researcher, but it seems fairly evident to me that Alzheimer's and similar diseases are the result of: -- Genetics -- Environment -- Lifestyle So while doing puzzles or learning a second language might be good for us overall and ward off some forms of dementia, it doesn't feel like it's going to make much difference in whether we get Alzheimers (or Parkinsons, or Lewy-Body, etc).