A recent study has found that people who speak more than just one language and who develop dementia, tend to do so up to 5 years later in life than those who speak just one language.

The study looked at some 650 sufferers of dementia and analyzed when they first developed it and how many languages they spoke. In general, those who spoke more than 1 language developed dementia later in life.

Interestingly this had nothing to do whether the languages were spoken or written and there was no significant difference between literate and illiterate sufferers.

One theory is that those who speak more than one language switch from one side of the brain to the other when they change languages; this, in effect, trains and stimulates the brain which keeps it healthier.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 35.6 million people around the world are affected with dementia and nearly 7.7 million new cases are reported every year.

Useful Links

BBC News – a BBC news article on this story

Business & Health – further information on this story