Persistent money troubles could make the brain age faster, study finds

Persistent money troubles have been linked to faster brain ageing in a new study.

The effect was particularly pronounced among men, those who had disadvantaged childhoods and people with a greater genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Supporting those facing financial hardship and reducing poverty could help prevent dementia cases in the future, researchers suggest.

For the study, published in the journal Innovations in Aging, experts at UCL analysed data from 2,759 people in the UK taking part in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, also known as the 1946 British cohort study.

The group was asked about household income at three points – at ages 26, 43 and 53.

People were classed as having persistent low income if they were in the bottom 20% at least twice, which included about one in six taking part in the study.

Hardship included struggling to manage on their income or having trouble paying bills.

The study found that people who experienced persistent money struggles or poverty in early and middle adulthood performed worse on cognitive tests at age 53.

And among people who had brain scans, analysis showed those who had lower incomes had worse brain health by 69 to 71.

The link was stronger in men, those who had poorer childhoods and people with a genetic variant which raises the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Dr Jacques Wels, of the unit for lifelong health and ageing at UCL, said: “Most studies on cognitive ageing look at financial hardship at only a single point in time.

“Our study using several decades of data allows us to see that it is the accumulation of hardship over many years that is linked to the worst cognitive health outcomes, rather than occasional episodes of adversity.”

The link could be down to money troubles impacting the “bandwidth” in parts of the brain that process the likes of attention and decision-making, the study suggests.

Those facing persistent financial problems in adulthood may place chronic stress on the systems involved in cognitive processing, leading to impairments over time.

Researchers said that, “given the current climate of cost-of-living crisis where a record number of households are reporting financial adversity,” the findings “further illustrate the importance of supporting vulnerable households”.

Professor Praveetha Patalay, also of UCL, added: “Our findings suggest that supporting people facing financial hardship and reducing chronic poverty could also help prevent cognitive decline and dementia cases in the future.”

Reacting to the findings, Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This study is a reminder that dementia is not just a health issue, but a social and economic one too.

“It adds to growing evidence that the factors shaping our brain health begin long before any symptoms of dementia appear.

“While there is no guaranteed way to prevent dementia, research suggests that around 45% of cases globally could potentially be delayed or prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors.

“This means helping people to live healthier lives, whilst also tackling the wider inequalities that shape brain health.

“Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, yet it still isn’t treated as the public health issue it should be. If we want to reduce the number of people affected, we must address both the factors that increase dementia risk and ensure everyone has access to the support needed after diagnosis.”