Internet Browsing may protect against Dementia, study finds

A population-based cohort study has shown that regular internet users experienced approximately half the risk of dementia than non-regular users. Being a regular internet user for longer periods in late adulthood was associated with delayed cognitive impairment.

Dementia is a general term that refers to a decline in cognitive function that is severe enough to interfere with a person's daily life and activities. It is not a specific disease but rather a set of symptoms associated with various underlying causes primarily affecting older adults.

The work by researchers from New York University characterized the association between various measures of internet usage and dementia.They followed dementia-free adults aged 50–64.9 for a maximum of 17.1 years using the Health and Retirement Study. The association between time-to-dementia and baseline internet usage was examined using cause-specific Cox models, adjusting for delayed entry and covariates.

In 18,154 adults, regular internet usage was associated with approximately half the risk of dementia compared to non-regular usage. The difference in risk between regular and non-regular users did not vary by educational attainment, race-ethnicity, sex, and generation. In addition, additional periods of regular usage were associated with significantly reduced dementia risk. The lowest risk was observed among adults with 0.1–2 h of usage, though estimates were non-significant due to small sample sizes.

Reference: Gawon Cho BA, BBA, Rebecca A. Betensky PhD, Virginia W. Chang MD, PhD, First published: 03 May 2023, https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.18394