Scientists from Peking University found leisure activities, such as reading a book, doing yoga and spending time with family and friends may help lower the risk of dementia.
Previous studies have shown that leisure activities were linked to various health benefits, such as a lower cancer risk, a reduction of atrial fibrillation, and a person’s perception of their own well-being.
However, there is conflicting evidence of the role of leisure activities in the prevention of dementia.
In the study, they reviewed available studies on the effects of cognitive activities, physical activities, and social activities and the risk of dementia.
They did a review of 38 studies from around the world involving a total of more than 2 million people who did not have dementia. The participants were followed for at least three years.
During the studies, 74,700 people developed dementia.
The researchers found that leisure activities overall were linked to a reduced risk of dementia. Those who engaged in leisure activities had a 17% lower risk of developing dementia than those who did not engage in leisure activities.
Mental activity mainly consisted of intellectual activities and included reading or writing for pleasure, watching television, listening to the radio, playing games or musical instruments, using a computer and making crafts.
The researchers found that people who participated in these activities had a 23% lower risk of dementia.
Physical activities included walking, running, swimming, bicycling, using exercise machines, playing sports, yoga, and dancing.
The researchers found that people who participated in these activities had a 17% lower risk of dementia.
Social activities mainly referred to activities that involved communication with others and included attending a class, joining a social club, volunteering, visiting with relatives or friends, or attending religious activities.
The researchers found that people who participated in these activities had a 7% lower risk of dementia.
This study suggests that being active has benefits, and there are plenty of activities that are easy to incorporate into daily life that may be beneficial to the brain.
The research found that leisure activities may reduce the risk of dementia. Future studies should include larger sample sizes and longer follow-up time to reveal more links between leisure activities and dementia.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about tooth loss linked to cognitive impairment, dementia, and this diet could protect against memory loss and dementia.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about high blood pressure drug that may treat vascular dementia, and results showing if you control type 2 diabetes well, you may lower dementia risk.
The research was published in Neurology and conducted by Lin Lu et al.
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