Medical Oddities: Could multilingualism keep you young? - Takeaways - MDSpire
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Medical Oddities: Could multilingualism keep you young?

From multilingual minds to pomegranate hearts, gastric mischief, and swishable tea, science stays delightfully odd.

  • By

  • Teraya Smith

  • August 27, 2026

  • 5 min

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  • 1

    A study of 86,149 adults aged 51 to 90 found that multilingualism is associated with lower odds of accelerated aging.

  • 2

    Multilingualism was linked to a 30% lower risk of accelerated aging, with a dose-response effect based on the number of languages spoken.

  • 3

    Functional ability was identified as the strongest protective predictor against accelerated aging in the study.

  • 4

    Hearing impairment, hypertension, and heart disease were major factors associated with accelerated aging.

  • 5

    The study's observational design does not establish causality, and multilingualism was measured at the country level.

Original Source(s)

Medical Oddities: Could multilingualism keep you young?

  • by Teraya Smith

  • August 27, 2026

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