Listening to music can reduce dementia risk by almost 40 per cent

Listening to music when you are aged over 70 has been linked to an almost 40 per cent lower risk of getting dementia.

A new Monash University-led study analysed the effects of listening to music, playing a musical instrument or a combination of both activities in 10,893 Australian adults aged 70 and over.

It found that always listening to music compared with never/rarely/sometimes was associated with a 39 per cent decreased risk of dementia, a 17 per cent lower incidence of cognitive impairment and higher scores in overall cognition and recalling everyday events.

Monash honours student Emma Jaffa said the findings suggest “music activities may be an accessible strategy for maintaining cognitive health in older adults, though causation cannot be established”.

The study used data from the ASPREE longitudinal study of older people, which began in 2010, and has been published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Playing a musical instrumental always or often was linked with a 35 per cent reduced risk of dementia, but with no significant change to the risk of cognitive impairment or cognitive scores over time.

Regularly listening to music and playing an instrument was associated with a 33 per cent decreased risk of dementia and 22 per cent decreased risk of cognitive impairment.

Senior author Professor Joanne Ryan said with no cure for dementia currently available, it was critical to find strategies to help prevent or delay the onset of dementia.

“Evidence suggests that brain ageing is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one’s own environmental and lifestyle choices,” she said.

“Our study suggests that lifestyle-based interventions, such as listening and/or playing music can promote cognitive health.”

This new study builds on evidence showing the benefit of music on our physical, mental and cognitive health.

Previous research has shown that older people who have had music training have a bigger cognitive reserve, which means less loss of memory and activity, than those who have not.

Music had also been shown to improve movement in people with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and who have had strokes.