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A study shows that being bilingual may delay dementia by five years. A university in Scotland discovered that bilingual people did not show any signs of three types of dementia for more than four years longer than monolingual people. Report co-author Dr. Thomas Bak said: "Bilingualism can be seen as a successful brain training…which can help delay dementia." This means that speaking two languages keeps the brain in better health. It also helps to keep diseases like Alzheimer's away for longer than if someone spoke just one language.

Dr Bak's research found that the bilingualism-dementia link had little to do with social status, gender, occupation or education. Bak studied the medical records of 648 people from India who had dementia. Of these, 391 were bilingual and many were illiterate. Dr Bak wrote: "The fact that bilingual advantage is not caused by any differences in education is confirmed by the fact that it was also found in illiterates, who have never attended any school." He suggested that learning a language could keep the brain healthier. He said it was enjoyable and it trains your brain.