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A new study shows that being bilingual may delay dementia five or more years. Researchers the University Edinburgh Scotland discovered that people who spoke two languages did not show any signs three types dementia more than four years longer than those who were monolingual. A co-author the report, Dr. Thomas Bak, said: "Bilingualism can be seen as a successful brain training, contributing to cognitive reserve, which can help delay dementia." This means that speaking two languages keeps the brain better health and helps to keep diseases like Alzheimer's bay longer than if someone spoke just one language.

Dr Bak's research found that bilingualism and the delaying dementia had little to do social status, gender, occupation or educational background. Bak's team evaluated the medical records 648 people from India who had been diagnosed dementia. Of these patients, 391 were bilingual or trilingual and many were illiterate. Dr Bak wrote: "The fact that bilingual advantage is not caused any differences in education is confirmed the fact that it was also found illiterates, who have never attended any school." He suggested that learning a language later life could keep the brain healthier. He said language learning was "socially more enjoyable, and it forces your brain to train permanently".