Researchers at Stanford University and the University of Tokyo estimated that the number of dementia sufferers in Japan will decrease from 5.1 million in 2016 to 4.65 million by 2043.
Dementia concerns all nations. More than 50 million people around the world are suffering from the condition, with the number estimated to exceed 150 million by the end of 2050. Japan had been widely expected to have over 9 million dementia cases by the end of 2040, up from 4.62 million in 2012.
This contrast to previous forecasts was the result of incorporating health status and educational history into their research. Specifically, it indicated that people may be less prone to dementia if they obtain higher levels of education.
The researchers had a clue that education might play a role in dementia before they started investigating. They looked at the number of years people were expected to live beyond the age of 65, and how much of their remaining time would be affected by dementia.
For males, the figure was just 1.4% for college graduates, 7.7% for high school graduates and 25.6% for those who received lower levels of education. For women, the respective figures were 15.4%, 14.8% and 24.6%. Thus, the higher the level of education, the less people were likely to suffer from dementia, or so the research revealed.
As the condition still eludes definitive treatments, “It is difficult to connect [dementia] with education levels,” an expert said. But the dots between education and dementia may be starting to connect as recent evidence supports the link.
Dementia numbers are expected to increase overall as populations grow and age, but this does not mean the condition will become more prevalent. Actually, research shows that the percentage of elderly people suffering from the condition has fallen in advanced economies.
The findings of a research project led by economist Peter Hudomiet of US think tank Rand Corp in November showed that the ratio of dementia sufferers among people aged 65 or older decreased from 12.2% in 2000 to 8.5% in 2016 in the US.
Hudomiet’s team stopped short of pinpointing the factor that contributed to the decrease. However, he reasons that improved educational levels have played a significant role, as both male and female college graduates have increased. The research also discovered that the difference in ratios of dementia sufferers has narrowed between non-Hispanic white males and Black males.
Many experts say the importance of education in lessening dementia has for years been common knowledge among researchers, who have noted that less education starting at adolescence is a risk factor, along with high blood pressure and depression.
A significant number of dementia cases are attributed to brain nerves damaged by waste proteins, lending some credence to theories that being in school when brain cells are developing makes the brain tougher, and that life experiences, work and increased health awareness through connections developed on campuses can help prevent dementia later in life.
But if research into dementia concludes that education is vital to reducing the disorder, society as a whole will have to change before desired outcomes are achieved. Some people do not have the opportunity to pursue higher education, especially in communities where inequality is rife. Hence, social reforms aimed at providing more equal educational opportunities are being recognised as a way to reduce dementia.
Still, Hideki Hashimoto, member of the University of Tokyo research project, says his team’s findings are not conclusive evidence that education is the only factor. That means there could be other options to treat or help prevent dementia. Dementia can be caused by a number of factors and “reducing these could be more than enough,” according to Makoto Higuchi, senior official of the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology’s Institute for Quantum Medical Science.
This view is supported by the results of a Kyushu University research project that studied about 800 residents aged 65 and older in the town of Hisayama in Fukuoka prefecture for over 24 years. Professor Toshiharu Ninomiya and his team found clues to predict dementia and designed a checklist to estimate the probability of an individual exhibiting symptoms in 10 years.
People receiving nine years or less of formal education are at a disadvantage, but they can make up for this by, for example, preventing diabetes. Another important finding is that even people with comparatively high levels of education can still fall victim to dementia if they smoke or have high blood pressure.
Separate research in the UK, which tracked changes that occurred to more than 1,000 people over a period exceeding six decades, found that factors that can lead to dementia can be counteracted throughout life.
The latest studies, however, indicate that managing one’s health is not enough to avoid the condition. Dementia risk is larger in communities where opportunities for advancement – educational and otherwise – are blocked. People living in such environments must not be overlooked if dementia is to be lessened.