A sudden financial shock in middle-age, like losing your job or most of your savings, could raise the risk of suffering dementia.
The stress of losing a large amount of money appears to speed up cognitive decline, at least in people aged 50 to 65.
A study of 8,000 people looked at those who lost at least 75 per cent of their total wealth over two years.
Compared to people whose financial situation remained stable, those suffering a financial shock were 27 per cent more likely to develop dementia.
The stress of losing a large amount of money appears to speed up cognitive decline, at least in people aged 50 to 65
The study followed people over the age of 50 in the US for up for an average of 14 years to see if they got dementia.
A diagnosis was based on a telephone assessment with a medical expert, and how they performed in tests of thinking skills.
These tests also showed people’s cognitive decline sped up if they lost a large amount of money.
But the link between a sudden financial shock and cognitive decline and dementia was seen only in people up to the age of 65 and not those who were older.
The study authors, led by Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China, suggest people over the age of 65 may cope better with stressful life events.
Dr Jing Guo, senior author of the study from Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China, said the stress of a sudden financial shock could affect health, but added: ‘A negative wealth shock is defined as a sudden loss of wealth, causing by rapid depletion of assets and accumulation of new debts, implying a decreased consumption of health-enhancing goods and services.
‘After the experience of negative wealth shock, people may have to drop the dietary habits of healthy food due to limited wealth, have lower levels of physical exercise due to depressed emotion, as well as fewer social activities due to limited recreational time.
‘All the above-mentioned elements are preventive for dementia.’
A sudden financial disaster has previously been found to raise people’s blood pressure and increase inflammation in the body, which could harm the brain and speed up memory loss in later life.
Losing money also raises the risk of depression, which is linked to dementia.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, included 2,185 people who had experienced such a financial shock.
This meant losing at least three-quarters of their personal wealth, taking into account savings, stocks, assets like homes and businesses, and also debts like loans and credit card debts.
The people who had suffered a financial shock were compared to people whose finances had started out positive and remained broadly stable.
Those hit by a financial change showed a faster decline when given regular tests of their thinking skills, which included remembering a list of items after a delay, counting backwards and mental arithmetic.
They were also more likely to develop dementia, which was judged using the tests and a detailed telephone assessment where a medical expert judged people’s cognitive decline and asked questions about issues with daily activities like shopping, cooking and taking medication.
When researchers looked at the over-50s within separate age groups, they discovered the link between a financial shock and dementia was only seen in people under the age of 65 – whose risk of dementia was 38 per cent higher after an economic upset.
This may have been because older people typically have more positive emotions and fewer negative ones, so cope better with life upheavals.
But the finding may not be accurate, as the study included a relatively small number of over-65s, which may have skewed the results.
The study looked at data from people involved in previous research, who took repeated cognitive tests.
This test data showed a more rapid decline in people who had suffered a financial shock, but only in people under the age of 65.
People who started out with no financial assets, or in debt, were also 61 per cent more likely to develop dementia than people whose finances were positive and remained stable, the study found.
The link between sudden financial hardship and dementia was seen even after taking into account other factors like age, illness and exercise levels.
