Putting off retirement cuts chances of dementia, study says

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The number of biomedical engineers is projected to grow nearly 68% from 4,000 in 2010 to 6,700 in 2020, according to the California Employment Development Department. The median annual wage for this career is $81,540, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. (John Amis / Associated Press)

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Home health aides provide individualized healthcare to elderly, convalescent or people with disabilities at the patient’s home or in a care facility. The number of aides is projected to grow 52% to 93,100 in 2020, according to the state Employment Development Department. The mean annual wage for these jobs is $21,830, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Joe Raedle/ Getty Images)

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The number of carpenter helpers is projected to swell nearly 52% to 4,700 in 2020, according to state employment projections. The mean annual wage for these workers, who assist carpenters, is $27,230, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Market research analysts study market conditions and help examine potential sales of a product or service. The number of these types of analysts is projected to grow 45.8% to 78,300, according to state estimates. The median annual wage of marketing specialists was $60,570, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Ulrich Baumgarten/Getty Images)

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Masons use bricks, concrete blocks and stones to build fences, walkways and other structures. The number of mason helpers is expected to grow 45.7% by 2020, swelling to 5,100, according to state projects. The median annual wage of brickmasons was $46,930, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Personal care aides are similar to home health aids, which landed at No. 2 on this list. Personal care aides, however, also make beds, prepare meals and perform other duties at a patient’s home or residential nursing facility. The number of jobs in this field is projected to grow to 462,900 by 2020, a 43% growth rate from 2010. The mean annual wage is about $20,830, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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The number of emergency medical technicians and paramedics is projected to grow to 22,600, a 42% increase, according to state estimates. The median annual wage of EMTs and paramedics was $30,360 in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

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The number of museum curators is expected to grow 40% to 1,400 in 2020, according to the state’s Employment Development Department. The median annual wage of curators is $48,450, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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The number of marriage and family therapists is projected to grow to 14,900 by 2020, according to state projects. That’s a growth rate of 39%. The mean annual salary for these types of therapists is $49,270, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

By Ricardo Lopez

July 15, 2013 11:26 AM PT

Baby boomers take note: For every year you put off retirement, your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia are cut by 3%.

The findings are the result of a massive French study, which looked at the records of 429,000 workers. The scientists presented their results Monday at the Alzheimer’s Assn. International Conference in Boston.

“For each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2%,” Carole Dufoil, a scientist at INSERM, the French government’s health research agency, told the Associated Press.

The findings underpin the often repeated advice to prevent mental decline: “Use it or lose it.” Doctors have said that keeping the brain mentally challenged is one way to prevent dementia and related diseases.

The French workers that were part of the study were age 74, on average, and had been retired for an average of 12 years, the AP said.

The study found that nearly 3% had developed dementia, but that the risk of developing the disease was lower for each year of age at retirement.

For example, someone who retired at 65 had a 15% lower risk than someone who retired at 60, Dufouil said.

Economists have noted that the recession, which wiped out millions of Americans’ retirement funds, has led to people putting off retirement.

Since the mid-1990s, American workers have been working longer, but that trend accelerated sharply during the most recent economic calamity.

About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer’s is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5 million people have Alzheimer’s, according to recent statistics.

Health officials predict an estimated 450,000 people will die in 2013 from the mind-robbing disease.

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ricardo.lopez@latimes.com