Staying sociable later on in life could halve dementia risk

Every day, I thank my lucky stars I have family, friends and colleagues around me. And I'm in touch with them quite regularly I talk to my assistant several times a day and she can cure most of my techie probs.

- DR MIRIAM STOPPARD

I see a granddaughter every weekend and one of my sons has just texted asking if it's OK to pop in for an hour. I'm aware of how fortunate I am.

To have such a rich social network isn't that common, but University College London researchers have found it could make me 50% less likely to develop dementia.

They argue social participation is a way to reduce dementia risk and recommend how we could collectively do that.

The international research team, based in the UK, Finland, US, France, New Zealand and Japan, report that lifelong social activity could alleviate dementia risk by increasing cognitive reserve (brain capacity), and brain maintenance. That's because it lowers stress and improves brain health.