The 3 activities proven to ward off dementia
<p>Three new preventative activities have been identified in the fight against dementia, and it’s likely you’re doing one right now. According to a new Mayo Clinic study, published in <em><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28135351?dopt=Abstract" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">JAMA Neurology</span></strong></a></em>, activities that keep the mind occupied (namely, using a computer, craft and playing games) could lower the risk of age-related cognitive decline in over-70s.</p>
<p>So beneficial are these activities that even in people with a gene variation associated with Alzheimer’s disease, mental decline was less common. “These kind of commonly engaged in, stimulating activities actually reduce the risk of people developing mild cognitive impairment,” co-author of the study and director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre, Dr Ronald Petersen, told <em><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/busy-minds-may-be-better-at-fighting-dementia/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">CBS News</span></strong></a></em>.</p>
<p>Researchers followed 2,000 adults between the ages of 70 and 93 who reported no memory problems, tracking their mental activity every 15 months for around four years. Over this time, 456 developed a mild cognitive impairment.</p>
<p>Among the participants, the risk for mental decline lowered by 30 per cent for regular computer users, 28 per cent for crafters, 23 per cent who engaged in social activities and 22 per cent for those who played games. Surprisingly, reading books and newspapers did not have as beneficial an effect on thinking and memory.</p>
<p>So, how often should you be undertaking these brain-happy activities? Those who performed them at least one or two times a week had significantly less cognitive decline than those who performed them less than two or three times a month. However, Petersen says these new findings should not necessarily be considered as an endorsement of “brain training” apps.</p>
<p>“I’m not saying that your brain game isn’t good for people, but I’m not endorsing it at all,” he says of services such as Lumosity and BrainHQ. “We can’t say your exercises are the same thing as what we found in this, but it’s not an unreasonable connection.”</p>
<p>Tell us in the comments below, what activities do you do to keep your mind sharp?</p>
