Bilingualism Staves Off Dementia

Scientists at Canada's Rotman Research Institute at the Baycrest Research Centre for Aging and the Brain have found that using two languages throughout one's life delays symptoms of dementia for up to four years.

Researchers charted 184 patients with Alzheimer's or related dementias, about half of which spoke only one language, while the other half were bilingual in any of 25 languages. They found that the mean age of the first onset of dementia symptoms was 71.4 years for monolinguals compared to 75.5 in bilinguals.

Previous studies have shown that bilingualism also increases cognitive abilities and attention in speakers of all ages. These findings add to growing evidence that a variety of factors including physical activity, education and keeping up social relationships can help build up a "cognitive reserve" as one ages.

Read more: Bilingualism delays onset of dementia: study