Study: Mentally Stimulating Activities Cut Risk of Alzheimer's

People who participate in mentally stimulating activities may reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago.

Researchers developed a study consisting of 801 older Catholic nuns, priests and brothers from across the U.S. who showed no signs of dementia at the start of the study. The participants were rated for frequency of participation in common cognitive activities such as reading the paper or playing games.

The amount of time the participants engaged in cognitive activities was measured on a five-point scale. The lowest level of activity was rated at 1 (an activity engaged in once per year or less) and the highest level was rated at 5 (a daily or almost daily activity).

During an average of 4.5 years of follow up, 111 participants developed Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that participants who engaged the most often in mentally stimulating activities had a 47 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and those who participated in a moderate amount of cognitive activity had a 28 percent lower risk than those who participated very little.

A participant's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease decreased by 33 percent for each one point increase on the participation scale, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association..

"These results suggest that frequent participation in cognitively stimulating activities is associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: Journal of the American Medical Association