New research shows certain parents are at greater risk of dementia than others

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Parents of boys may face a higher risk of cognitive decline compared to parents who have daughters, a new study suggests. 

To assess the possible link, researchers at Charles University in the Czech Republic looked at more than 13,000 adults 50 and older. 

Findings showed mothers and fathers with at least one son showed a more rapid decline in cognition than parents without them.

“Our results also suggest that cognitive decline was faster among parents of multiple sons, compared to parents with only daughters,” authors say in the paper. “Thus, the results support the theory that having sons might have a long-term negative effect on parental cognition.”

Scientists say their findings support the need for research to find out the mechanism behind dementia risk and offspring.

The paper was published in the most recent issue of the Journal Psychiatric Research.