Study: Leisure Activities During Early and Middle Adult Years Can Cut Alzheimer Risk

The more leisure activities that you participate in during young and middle adult years, the lower your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according a study reported in the September issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences.

A team of American and Swedish researchers used data from a Swedish registry containing information on same-sex twins born between 1886 and 1925.

In the 1960s, the twins filled out questionnaires about their leisure activities, which included reading, social visits, theater and movie going, club and organization participation, gardening and other outdoor activities and participation in sports. The participants were eventually tested for Alzheimer's disease in the 1980s and 1990s.

In an analysis of 107 of the pairs where one twin was diagnosed with some type of dementia, the twin who did not develop dementia reported greater overall participation in leisure activities. Moreover, among female twin pairs, the twin who participated frequently in "intellectual-cultural activities" showed a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease.

"The idea that mental activity is good for the brain is not unlike the idea of use it or lose it when it comes to keeping the body fit," said researcher Ross Andel, a faculty member of the University of South Florida.

Other sources: The Gerontological Society of America