A new study has identified hobbies and activities which can reportedly help to slow down the onset of dementia.
The research suggests that reading books or playing an instrument reduces dementia risk by 23 per cent, yoga and dancing have 17 per cent protective effect and joining a club or volunteering cuts chance by seven per cent.
The study involved a review of 38 studies from around the world involving 2.1 million people who did not have dementia.
The participants were aged 45 to 93 at the beginning of the study.
Over the course of the study period, which was between three and 44 years, 74,700 people developed dementia.
To examine the pattern behind these numbers, researchers collected information about their hobbies through questionnaires and interviews.
Researchers divided activities into mental, physical and social activities to understand the data collected.
Those who engaged in leisure activities had a 17 per cent lower risk of developing dementia than those who didn’t.
Mental activity included reading or writing for pleasure, listening to the radio, playing games or musical instruments and making crafts.
People involved in these activities had a 23 per cent lower risk of dementia.
Physical activities included walking, running, bicycling, swimming, using exercise machines, playing sports, dancing and yoga.
Participants who took part in physical activities had a 17 per cent lower risk of developing dementia.
Study author Lin Lu said: “Previous studies have shown that leisure activities were associated with 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. Our research found that leisure activities like making crafts, playing sports or volunteering were linked to a reduced risk of dementia.”
Dr Lu concluded: “This meta-analysis 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.”
