Daily internet use may lower older adults’ dementia risk: study

The internet, consumed in moderation, may contribute to better overall brain health for older Americans.

People who regularly engage with the internet were less likely to develop dementia, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 

Researchers observed 18,154 adults aged 50 to 65 over an eight-year period.

The participants did not have dementia at the start of the study. 

The study observed how long older adults were spending on the internet on a scale of never to upward of eight hours per day.

Researchers found that those who were using the internet at the beginning of the study already had half the risk of developing dementia as people who were not regularly surfing the web at all.  

Participants were asked: “Do you regularly use the World Wide Web, or internet, for sending and receiving e-mail or for any other purpose, such as making purchases, searching for information, or making travel reservations?” 

The findings suggest those with the lowest risk of dementia were online for two hours or less per day, compared with those who didn’t use the internet at all.

But too much of anything is never a good thing. Indeed, researchers determined that seniors who were online for six to eight hours per day had a higher risk of dementia although they noted more research is needed. 

“Being a regular internet user for longer periods of time in late adulthood was associated with delayed cognitive impairment, although further evidence is needed on potential adverse effects of excessive usage,” the authors wrote in the study. 

“While most studies among older adults show internet usage to be associated with better cognitive health, the impact for excessive usage on dementia risk remains unclear.”

Exercising memory muscles online has been shown to help bolster memory in older adults.

Separate research from 2021 published in the Journals of Gerontology from researchers in the UK found older people who frequently communicate online, coupled with social interactions in person or by phone, were less likely to experience memory loss or the ability to recall events — a sign of dementia.

Almost 10% of US adults ages 65 and older have dementia, while another 22% have mild cognitive impairment, according to Columbia University.