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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Health Report. |
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New research suggests |
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that speaking more than one language |
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may delay different kinds of dementia, |
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that is the lost of mental ability. |
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In fact, researchers say, |
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speaking two languages |
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appears to be more important |
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than the level of education |
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in defending against dementias. |
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A study in India examined the effect |
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of knowing more than one language |
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in delaying the first signs of several disorders, |
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these included Alzheimer's disease, |
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frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia, |
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Lewy bodies dementia and mixed dementias. |
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Researchers studied nearly 650 people |
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whose average age was 66. |
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240 of those studied suffered from Alzheimer's, |
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the most common form of mental decline. |
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391 of the subjects spoke two or more languages. |
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Investigators found the dementias began about |
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four-and-a-half years later in those who were bilingual |
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compared to those who spoke only one language. |
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The level of education had no effect |
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on the age at the first sign of dementia. |
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Thomas Bak helped to organise the study. |
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He is with the Center of Cognitive Aging |
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at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. |
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He suggests that individuals |
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who speak more than one language |
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train their brains by moving back and forth |
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between different words and expressions. |
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Mr Bok believes this effort improves |
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what scientists called executive functioning |
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or attention to tasks, |
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this mental ability often weakens in people with dementias. |
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Researchers found there was no extra gain |
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in speaking more than two languages. |
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They also did not see a delay |
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in the first signs of Lewy bodies dementia, |
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the disorder causes patients to see |
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or experience things that do not real exist. |
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They can also cause sufferers to move back and forth |
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between being wide awake and really sleeping. |
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Mr Bak says it does not appear important |
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whether you learn a language at a young age or later in life. |
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"So it's not something you sort of say that |
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you missed the boat when you do not do it as a baby.' |
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It is something that is still quite useful |
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and powerful when you do it as an adult," he said. |
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Scientists found that speaking more than one language |
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help delay the first signs of dementias, |
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even in those who could not read. |
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An article on the benefits of bilingualism on dementias |
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was published this month in the journal Neurology. |
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And that is the VOA Health Report from VOA Learning English. |