Having a routine job with little mental stimulation during your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s was linked to a 66% higher risk of mild cognitive impairment and a 37% greater risk of dementia after the age of 70, according to the study, when compared with having a job with high cognitive and interpersonal demands.
Attending college, for example, reduced the impact of a repetitive job by about 60% but didn’t fully negate the risk.
Routine jobs that were not classified as “cognitively protective” often involved repetitive manual and mental tasks, such as is typical of factory work and bookkeeping.
“Most people in routine jobs in our sample included housekeepers, custodians, construction workers and mail carriers,” Edwin said.
More cognitively demanding jobs were not based on routine tasks, even though repetition was required at times.
Persons:
”, Dr, Trine Edwin, Edwin said, Richard Isaacson, Isaacson, ” Edwin, Edwin, It’s, ” Isaacson
Organizations:
CNN, Oslo University Hospital, American Academy of Neurology, “
Locations:
Norway, Florida