As many as 11% of dementia cases in people living within 50m of a major road could be down to traffic, the study suggests.
The researchers, who followed nearly 2m people in Canada over 11 years, say air pollution or noisy traffic could be contributing to the brain’s decline.
UK dementia experts said the findings needed probing but were “plausible“.
Nearly 50 million people around the world have dementia.
However, the causes of the disease, that robs people of their memories and brain power, are not understood.
I – Word Understanding
Down to – being caused by
Probing – to study or examine
Plausible – probabl
II – Have Your Say
1. It is estimated that in the 2020s, 1 in 8 elderly people in Japan aged 65 years or older will fall into the “low degree dementia” category. Can you name some risk factors for dementia?
2. The researchers suggest noise, ultrafine particles, nitrogen oxides and particles from tyre-wear may be involved in causing dementia. Would you consider moving to the countryside?
3. Wandering and reckless driving cases are increasing as Japan’s population is greying. What do you think should be done to cut down related accidents?