Activities that best protect against dementia

It’s well known that keeping your mind active is a key part of preventing cognitive decline. But do certain mental activities provide more benefit than others?

Whether it’s reading, playing cards or just chatting with friends, regularly making your brain work hard has well-documented cognitive health benefits, especially when it comes to the onset of dementia.

Now, an intriguing study from Monash University has identified exactly which brain activities provide you with the most benefit in terms of keeping your brain working – and you may be surprised.

The study used the health data of more than 10,318 Australians aged 70 or over from the ASPREE dataset, a wide-ranging community study looking at the role aspirin plays in the health of older Australians. This survey also collected information on participants’ physical activities and cognitive health.

The data showed more engaging activities such as using computers, writing, and completing puzzles or games have a stronger correlation with warding off dementia, compared to arts and crafts or social interactions.

Study participants who regularly engaged in activities that challenge mental agility and literacy – such as attending adult education classes, maintaining journals, or participating in crossword puzzles – had a 9–11 per cent reduced likelihood of developing dementia compared to their counterparts.

In contrast, artistic and crafting activities offered just a 7 per cent decreased risk. These findings remained robust even after adjusting for previous education levels and socioeconomic status.

Researchers hope this new information may help develop more targeted treatment and prevention plans for older adults.

In 2022 alone, it was estimated that around 55 million people were living with dementia worldwide, with an additional 10 million new cases each year.

Dementia doesn’t only impact the individual; it has profound effects on caregivers and families, becoming a global burden on healthcare systems.

Associate Professor Joanne Ryan, senior author of the study, says the majority of studies prior to this have concentrated on one or two select leisure activities, while this study’s approach encompassed a broader scope of activities.

“Identifying strategies to prevent or delay dementia is a gargantuan global priority,” she says.

“We were fortunate to have the opportunity to investigate the broad range of enriching activities that older people often undertake, and assess which of those linked strongest with dementia prevention.”

The researchers say prior neurobiological research may shine some light on the mechanisms driving the results.

Many active literacy and mental acuity activities combine critical thinking, logical reasoning, and social interaction.

These build resilience against brain disorders by physically increasing neuronal and synaptic connectivity, driving efficiency in brain networks by creating new neural pathways.

‘Literacy activities’ include education class attendance, computer usage and writing – all of which require the processing and storage of new information, which slows brain ageing and protects against dementia. Writing in particular utilises a number of different cognitive functions simultaneously.

Using a computer use engages multiple brain regions that must coordinate with your motor skills used when typing, and generally adopting new technologies can be a cognitively challenging process.

That’s not to say social interaction has no role to play as the health benefits of many of these activities are greatly enhanced by adding a social element to them.

For example, mental activities such as playing cards, chess, or many other games often also involve a social interaction component. They’re sometimes competitive, and involve complex strategies, problem solving and planning ahead.

They also typically engage a variety of different areas of the brain, including sections controlling episodic memory, visuospatial skills, calculation, executive function, attention and concentration, language skills, and semantic memory.

Assoc. Prof. Ryan says the study shows the importance of actively and deliberately engaging your brain all throughout your life, but especially as you age.

“I think what our results tell us is that active manipulation of previously stored knowledge may play a greater role in dementia risk reduction than more passive recreational activities.

“Keeping the mind active and challenged may be particularly important.”

How do you keep your brain active? When was the last time you did a difficult puzzle? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also read: Can dementia patients learn?