Study: Living Close To Busy Roads Can Increase Dementia Risk
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia is surrounded by highways. Traffic is everywhere. Now new research says living close to busy roads can increase your risk of dementia.
"It does seem pretty conclusive," said Dr. Carol Lippa, a neurologist in the Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience at Jefferson. "Those who lived very close to the highway, the major arteries, they had the highest risk."
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Dr. Lippa said the study, which covered 6.6 million people, was observational, so researchers don't know exactly how living close to highways hurts the brain.
"It could be the noise that does something, like maybe the noise gives people less restful sleep," Dr. Lippa said.
The other theory is that pollution from congested roads is harmful to the brain.
It's hard to escape traffic around Philadelphia. What does that say to people who live in this region?
"It's not really a cause for panic, because it's only a very slight increase," Dr. Lippa said.
Frank Otter and his elderly neighbors, who live blocks from I-95 in Fishtown, say they're just fine and don't put a lot of stock in the study.
Frank Otter of said, "I don't think there's any credence in that."
"I play poker all day, play word games. I have no dementia," said Nancy Golden, 65.
Golden is active, walking her dog Louie. Exercise, plus a Mediterranean diet rich in produce and healthy fats, can protect the brain, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology.
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"Those things actually have a larger effect, have a more consistent effect, on dementia or just loss of memory, thinking abilities as you get older," Dr. Lippa said.
The traffic study, published in Lancet, covered a decade and tracked dementia with MRIs. It found the highest risk was living very close to highways, and the dangers were significantly reduced the further away people lived from roads.
