Men working in hard physical occupations are 55% more likely to develop dementia than those in who have office jobs or more sedentary roles, according to a recent study.
Scientists from the University of Copenhagen analysed 4,000 men across 14 companies covering a broad spectrum of fields from postal services to railway companies.
The results, which have since been published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science, suggests those labour-intensive jobs were more likely to develop the condition.
This remained true even when adjusting for other lifestyle factors believed to contribute to the disease, including smoking, alcohol consumption and high blood pressure.
Hard physical work not good for preventing disease
The study’s author Dr Kirsten Nabe-Nielsen says results show there are some types of physical activity that can have a negative effect down the track.
“The WHO (World Health Organization) guide to preventing dementia and disease on the whole mentions physical activity as an important factor,” she said.
“But our study suggests it must be a ‘good’ form of physical activity, which hard physical work is not. Guides from the health authorities should therefore differentiate between physical activity in your spare time and physical activity at work, as there is reason to believe the two forms of physical activity have opposite effects.”
Interesting food for thought!
