Marry an intelligent woman to stave off dementia, experts tell men

Men can protect themselves against dementia by marrying an intelligent woman, according to scientists.

Dementia experts said that having a clever partner can act as a “buffer” to the disease, following a study.

After examining the health of biological twins, scientists concluded that a person’s environment can seriously impact on their chances of developing dementia.

During a talk called Dementia: How Can We Protect Ourselves, Professor Lawrence Whalley, an emeritus professor of mental health at the University of Aberdeen, told the Daily Mail: “The thing a boy is never told he needs to do if he wants to live a longer life - but what he should do – is marry an intelligent woman,”

“There is no better buffer than intelligence.”

During the study, people who showed physical signs of the illness on their brain scans but developed no symptoms were in “high-powered jobs” and “highly intelligent”.

Several studies have found that keeping the brain active can help to ward off dementia symptoms.

Around 800,000 people in the UK are suffering with dementia, with the number expected to rise to around a million by 2021.