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How financial stress can affect the brain over the long term
Yahoo • • health
Key Points:
- A British study tracking over 2,700 people born in 1946 found that those in the poorest 20% during their mid-20s to early 50s showed slower cognitive and memory test performance in middle age.
- The research, published in Innovation in Aging, indicates that financial stress in adulthood causes long-term brain health damage, independent of childhood disadvantages or education levels.
- Cognitive decline was observed to be slower in financially stressed individuals later in life, possibly because significant damage had already occurred earlier.
- The study suggests a causal link between financial pressure and biological markers of brain health decline, emphasizing the importance of poverty alleviation to reduce future health issues like dementia.
- Experts caution that financial stress is intertwined with broader social inequities, and the relationship between poverty and brain health is complex, involving factors beyond just money.
