They reported lower rates of diseases like high blood pressure as compared to those who went straight into full retirement

People who keep doing some work in their field of expertise aIter they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop working completely, a new study suggest.

The findings, said researchers, suggest that prospective retirees should consider moving into so-called "bridge employment" as a transition to full retirement.

"In essence, if someone is in a field where part-time work or self-employment is possible, he or she should consider it as they plan for retirement," Dr Mo Wang, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, told Reuters Health.

For their study, Dr Wang and his colleagues used data from more than 12,000 workers in a United States health study which began in 1992. Participants, who were between the ages of 51 and 61 at the outset, were surveyed every two years over a six-year period.

Overall, the researchers found, people who went into some form of bridge employment reported lower rates of major diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis during the study period than
their counterparts who went straight into full retirement.

Th findings were reported in the Journal Of Occupational Health Psychology last month.

On top of their better physical health, "bridge" workers also reported fewer mental health problems such as
depression.

The same mental health benefits were not seen, however, when retiree took part-time jobs in other fields of
work. Dr Wang said this could possibly be because many of these people took those job out of financial need rather than choice.

He noted that the lack of benefit could also stem from the fact that these retirees had to adjust to an unfamiliar job position or had to make lifestyle changes.

Bridge work, particularly in a field that one is accustomed to, may benefit physical and mental health for a number of reasons, said Dr Wang.

In general, he explained. such work may help older adults maintain the active lifestyles they used to have and reduce any stress they might feel from the transition into retirement. When it comes to mental health, bridge work may help by allowing people to retain their sense of the "role identity" that they have formed through
their careers in earlier years.