Holistic Health
The health potential of learning languages
Speaking more than one language might strengthen the brain and even delay dementia , but more evidence of the link is needed
In today ’ s globalised world , many are learning foreign languages to improve career prospects , facilitate communication , or just out of interest . But the mental efforts needed to learn a new language , such as memorising new sounds and vocabulary , might also boost brain health and even slow down the development of Al�heimer ’ s .
�esearch findings published last April show that people who use two languages daily in their early life have better learning and memory skills in older adulthood than those speaking a single language . They also en�oy long-lasting protection against cognitive decline and dementia , an umbrella term referring to cognitive impairment , including Al�heimer ’ s .
�esearchers recruited ��� people aged �� to �� who either experienced confusion and memory loss or didn ’ t and tested their skills on vocabulary , memory , attention , and calculation tasks . Participants who reported being bilingual between the ages of �� and �� or �� and �� performed better than their monolingual peers .
�It ’ s promising that they report that early and middle-life bilingualism has a beneficial effect on cognitive health in later life , � �iguel Arce �enter�a , a neuropsychologist at Columbia University who was not involved in the study , told the New York Times . “ This would line up with the existing literature .”
Previous studies have similarly suggested bilingualism could offer people who eventually develop dementia more healthy years as it delays the onset of the debilitating condition by as much as five to seven years compared to those with dementia who speak only one language . Tamar Gollan of the University of California San �iego Al�heimer ’ s �isease �esearch Center explained to CNN that bilingualism didn ’ t
actually prevent Al�heimer ’ s disease or brain damage associated with it . “ What it does is it makes you continue to function , even in the face of having damage to the brain . You can imagine an athlete with an injury crossing the finish line , even though they ’ re in�ured . �
These benefits could be related to the efforts needed to speak multiple languages , which are believed to strengthen the brain and make it more resilient .
“ Being bilingual involves handling a wider range of options in terms of both language and culture , being able to direct attention , managing a mental map , and so on . �epending on ability and e�perience , this can both demand and provide greater cognitive resources ,” Miquel Serra , a consultant in bioethics at the University of Barcelona , wrote in The Conversation .
Experts agree that keeping the brain active , especially as people age , may be what ’ s providing protection against cognitive decline and can be achieved through a variety of mental activities , like socialising and reading , though a clear association has not been established .
This caveat may also be true for speaking multiple languages as other research has found no convincing health benefits from it . �The �uestion of whether bilingualism can protect against Al�heimer ’ s has been in the limelight for some time , and even today the e�tent to which it might be effective in combating cognitive decline is a topic of debate ,” wrote Serra .
As a result , some e�perts caution that the health benefits observed in the studies may be due to reasons other than speaking two languages , such as the specific population or lifestyles of the people who happen to be bilingual , reported the New York Times .
Being bilingual involves handling a wider range of options in terms of both language and culture
30 ISSUE 6 | 2023 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com