If you want to protect yourself against the risk of developing dementia, consider taking up surfing. But before you rush out and buy a surfboard, a clarification: the surfing referred to here is internet surfing.
According to a newly published study, internet surfing could help stave off dementia as we age. The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, points towards internet use helping older people prevent dementia.
The study does come with a warning, though. The researchers found that if your internet surfing goes beyond two hours a day, the dementia risk is not reduced. In fact, the evidence points to an increased risk the further past the two-hour mark you go.
Using a cohort of more than 18,000 people, the study’s authors focused on dementia-free adults aged between 50 and 64.9. They found that regular internet usage was associated with approximately half the risk of dementia compared to non-regular usage.
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However, the research also revealed what is known as a ‘U-shaped relationship’ between internet surfing and dementia. This means that the risk of dementia lowers the more internet surfing you do, but only up to a point. Once that point is reached, the risk actually increases the more you surf.
The ‘sweet spot’, that is the lowest point of the U curve, appears to be somewhere in the 0.1 hour to two hours per day mark.
In short, anywhere from six minutes to two hours a day of internet surfing may lower your dementia risk. Not surfing at all or doing so for more than two hours may increase your risk.
The researchers were unable to narrow the time window further due to small sample sizes for each time frame.
Why does internet surfing help?
This is a question the study does not attempt to answer. Further research will be required to separate correlation and causation. But the evidence of correlation is certainly there. Regular internet users had a 43 per cent reduced risk of developing dementia compared with non-regular users.
By the end of the study, 4.68 per cent of the individuals had been diagnosed with dementia.
There are a number of possible reasons for the correlation. It could be that those who engage in small amounts of internet surfing are more likely to do puzzles. They may be inclined to seek mental stimulation in a number of ways, with internet surfing just one of those.
Alternatively, for older people who are new to internet surfing, the stimulation of the brain could be a factor. Creating new neural paths keeps us cognitively active, which has been shown to help stave of dementia.
Another factor could be increased social stimulation. This could take the form of direct interaction with others through social media apps such as Facebook or TikTok. Or it could be that reading about other people and their lives engenders a sense of connection.
Dr Scott Kaiser, a specialist in geriatric family medicine at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, proffered another possibility. Participation in internet activities may promote a positive view of getting older, and this can deliver health benefits, he said.
A little, not a lot
In summary, a little bit of internet surfing isn’t a bad thing. It is in fact likely to be good for you, as long as it’s not for too long. If you’re the sort of person who might have trouble staying under the two hours, you may have to adopt the ‘kids approach’ to yourself. Set yourself a time limit each day.
Happy internet surfing!
Are you an internet surfer already? Or do you shy away from the online world? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: The pros and cons of using the internet to self-diagnose
