Study: Chronic Financial Problems Can Accelerate Brain Ageing
Long-term financial problems have been linked to faster brain ageing. Recent studies show that individuals who experience continuous economic difficulties from young adulthood through to middle age exhibit poorer cognitive and brain health.
This impact is more pronounced in men, individuals who grew up in disadvantaged economic conditions, and those with genetic factors that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings, reported by The Star, stem from research by University College London (UCL) which analysed data from 2,759 people in the UK. These participants were part of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, also known as the British Cohort Study 1946.
Researchers tracked the income status of participants at ages 26, 43, and 53. An individual was categorised as experiencing persistent low income if they were in the bottom 20% of the income group at least twice.
Approximately one in six participants fell into this category. Researchers also accounted for difficulties in meeting basic needs, including challenges in managing income and paying bills.
The results showed that those experiencing continuous financial pressure or poverty during young adulthood and middle age performed worse on cognitive tests at age 53. Brain imaging examinations also showed similar conditions; participants with lower incomes exhibited poorer indicators of brain health when entering their late 60s and early 70s.
According to researchers, the issue is not merely the amount of money owned. Prolonged economic pressure can act as chronic stress, draining the mental capacity required for concentration, decision-making, and information processing.
“Most studies on cognitive ageing look at financial difficulty only at a single point in time,” said Jacques Wels from the UCL unit for health and ageing throughout life. He noted that using data spanning several decades provides a different perspective, as the risk to cognitive health is more closely related to the accumulation of long-term economic hardship rather than occasional episodes of difficulty.
This relationship is not uniform across all populations. The influence is stronger in men, those who experienced disadvantaged childhood conditions, and participants with genetic variants associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
These findings are particularly relevant amidst rising cost-of-living pressures. Economic issues are no longer just about the ability to meet daily needs; if they become chronic, such pressure has the potential to affect long-term health, including brain function.
Professor Praveetha Patalay from UCL stated that support for groups facing financial difficulties and efforts to reduce chronic poverty have the potential to help suppress future declines in cognitive function and cases of dementia.
The research was published in the journal Innovations in Aging. While it demonstrates a link between prolonged economic hardship and brain health, the findings do not imply that everyone experiencing financial problems will inevitably develop dementia. Genetic factors, childhood conditions, health, and environment also play roles in the brain ageing process.