Working part-time cuts the risk of dementia for pensioners by 40 per cent
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Pensioners who work part-time are almost 40 per cent less likely to develop dementia, research shows.
The incurable condition is much less common in those employed for a couple of days a week, compared to others who retire completely.
Scientists think it protects the brain against a loss of cognition.
Nearly one million people in the UK have dementia. By 2040, it's projected this will rise to 1.4million.
Previous studies have hinted that employees who quit at retirement age - currently 66 - face a bigger risk of dementia because they lose the daily interaction and cognitive stimulation that can ward it off.
Researchers from Washington University in St Louis wanted to see if staying in work part-time up to the age of 75 reduced the danger. They tracked almost 14,000 people.
Researchers tracked almost 14,000 people and found that those working part-time until their mid-seventies had a 38 per cent lower risk of dementia.
Dementia risk was 38 per cent lower in those who worked part-time until their mid-seventies, compared with those who stayed in full-time employment after retirement age, or stopped work completely in their 50s or 60s.
The team said working part-time was less harmful for the brain than full-time jobs or retiring altogether.
In a report in the online medical journal medRxiv, they said: 'Compared with full retirement, part-time work may help maintain cognitive stimulation, social interaction and daily structure.
'And compared with full-time work, it may provide greater time for rest, leisure, and other health-promoting activities.'
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