A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity

Abstract

Although books can expose people to new people and places, whether books also have health benefits beyond other types of reading materials is not known. This study examined whether those who read books have a survival advantage over those who do not read books and over those who read other types of materials, and if so, whether cognition mediates this book reading effect. The cohort consisted of 3635 participants in the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study who provided information about their reading patterns at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models were based on survival information up to 12 years after baseline. A dose-response survival advantage was found for book reading by tertile (HRT2 = 0.83, p<.0001, HRT3 = 0.77, p<.0001), after adjusting for relevant covariates including age, sex, race, education, comorbidities, self-rated health, wealth, marital status, and depression. Book reading contributed to a survival advantage that was significantly greater than that observed for reading newspapers or magazines (tT2 = 90.6, p<.0001; tT3 = 67.9, p<.0001). Compared to non-book readers, book readers had a 4-month survival advantage at the point of 80% survival. Book readers also experienced a 20% reduction in risk of mortality over the 12 years of follow up compared to non-book readers. Cognitive score was a complete mediator of the book reading survival advantage (p=.04). These findings suggest that the benefits of reading books include a longer life in which to read them.

Peer Review #1 of "Measurement of sedentary behaviour in population health surveys: a review and recommendations (v0.2)"

“…Of the various modalities of SB, available evidence suggests that in general, self-reported total SB, TV viewing, computer use, and total screen time are negatively associated with physical and psychosocial health indicators in both children and adults [5,12,52]. Although it has been the focus of relatively few studies, the opposite relationship is observed for reading, which is associated with higher levels of academic achievement in children, and increased longevity in adults [5,15]. It is unclear whether these relationships are due to physiological mechanisms, or due to confounding via other variables (e.g., socio-economic status), though at present there is little evidence to suggest that reading per se has a negative impact on health.…”

“…Reading was included given that it is the only form of SB consistently associated with positive health indicators [15]. At present it is unclear whether the health impacts of reading on a screenbased device differ from those of reading a physical book.…”

“…At present it is unclear whether the health impacts of reading on a screenbased device differ from those of reading a physical book. Studies that have shown associations between reading and academic achievement or longevity tend to simply ask how much time people spend reading books or magazines, without specifying the device used [15,61]. As books and magazines are likely to be increasingly read on screen-based devices, more research will be needed to determine if this has any impact on the relationship between reading and health, which may also differ based on the specific screen-based device being use (e.g.…”

“…For example, the relationship between total SB and health outcomes is often weaker than for some specific modes of SB, especially TV viewing and total screen time [5,12,13]. A smaller body of research suggests that sedentary transportation may also show deleterious associations with health [14], whereas reading has been shown to be benign or even beneficial [5,15]. It is important to note, however, that further research is still needed to identify whether these associations are independent of other confounding factors such as food consumption and socio-economic status.…”

Reta a Tu Mente, Desafía a Tu Cerebro: Complejidad Ambiental Y Salud Cerebral

“…ACTIVE es el primer estudio randomizado a gran escala que ha demostrado que el entrenamiento cognitivo puede mejorar esta función además de mostrar transferencia a las actividades de la vida diaria (Rebok et al, 2105). Estudios recientes sugieren que leer libros conlleva beneficios cognitivos que, a su vez, influyen sobre la longevidad (Bavishi, Slade & Levy, 2016). La música también se ha considerado como una forma de enriquecimiento ambiental ya que es una experiencia compleja y multisensorial y el entrenamiento musical podría actuar como uno de los principales promotores de la neuroplasticidad a lo largo del ciclo vital (Wan & Schlaug, 2010).…”