US EditionStudy Finds Listening to Music Reduces Dementia Risk for Elderly
Listening to music is linked to a 39% lower dementia risk and playing instruments to a 35% reduction in adults over 70, based on a study of over 10,800 Australians.
- Study results show that Monash researchers led by Emma Jaffa and Professor Joanne Ryan found that always listening to music was linked to a 39% lower dementia risk in older adults over 70, with playing instruments reducing risk by 35%.
- Using data from the ASPREE and ALSOP studies, the analysis included 10,893 community-dwelling adults aged 70+, surveyed on music habits three years into the study with median follow-up of 4.7 years.
- Using Cox proportional hazard regression models and linear mixed models, the team adjusted for age, gender and education, tracked cognition via annual assessments, and relied on an expert diagnostic panel for dementia adjudication.
- Researchers say the findings position music as a promising, accessible lifestyle strategy, with a 63% reduced risk observed in the education subgroup with over 16 years of education.
- The authors caution that, as an observational study, it cannot establish causation and reverse causation is possible; limitations include healthier-than-average participants, self-reported music engagement and missing music-type or duration data, so future studies need broader, longer research.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Music engagement is associated with substantially lower dementia risk in older adults
A new study provides evidence that older adults who frequently engage with music may have a significantly lower risk of developing dementia. The research, published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, indicates that consistently listening to music was associated with up to a 39 percent reduced risk, while regularly playing an instrument was linked to a 35 percent reduced risk. These findings suggest that music-related activitie…
Listening to Music After 70 May Cut Dementia Risk by Nearly 40%
Older adults who regularly listen to or play music may significantly lower their risk of dementia, according to a study of more than 10,800 people over age 70. Those who always listened to music showed a 39% lower risk of developing dementia and better memory performance, while those who played instruments had a 35% lower risk.
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