Dancing may reduce your dementia risk by 76 percent

by Trisha Pasricha, MD for the Washington Post

There are several science-based ways to lower your risk of dementia — but one especially fun option might surprise you: Dancing.

Dancing combines some of the best elements known to be associated with longevity: exercise, creativity, balance and social connection. You’re investing the same time as walking or other exercise activities but may be getting much more out of it.

In fact, one study found that people who danced frequently (more than once a week) had a 76 percent lower risk of dementia than those who did so rarely.

In the early 1980s, a group of researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine set out to better understand the aging brain by recruiting almost 500 men and women ages 75 to 85 living in the Bronx. Each person underwent neuropsychological tests and questionnaires about their health and lifestyle. Then, over the next couple of decades, the researchers tracked the people’s cognition.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the scientists found that, for every cognitively challenging activity performed one day a week, there was an associated 7 percent reduction in dementia risk. The more often people tested their brains — such as with board games or crossword puzzles — the less likely they were to develop Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia.

But when it came to physical activity, one hobby stood out above the others after controlling for other lifestyle and health factors: Dancing.

The researchers, who published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003, concluded that physical activities like swimming and walking also trended in the right direction but weren’t as profound as dancing. (Because people in the early stages of dementia may cut back on activities like dancing, the study was designed with a long period of observation to correct for this.)

Physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, in general is wonderful for our brain health. And this isn’t intended to knock walking: A small randomized controlled trial of walking versus ballroom dancing among older adults found both benefited memory and learning.

But combining physical activity with creativity and cognitive challenges may help protect the brain further. Dancing asks your brain to do several things at once: match a rhythm, remember steps (or quickly improvise some new ones), navigate space and perhaps even respond to a partner.

While more studies are needed, the data suggest that this degree of cognitive multitasking gives your brain the right kind of workout.

3 simple ways you can become a dancer

• Try something new to find what’s right for you: You might learn that this whole time you thought you had two left feet was simply because you were born to salsa and not Charleston.
• Look for online dance classes: The world of online dance classes blossomed over the pandemic. There are also several classes on YouTube tailored to possible physical limitations and needs. (As always, check with your physician before starting a new exercise routine.)
• Don’t write off video games: Video dance games have been studied among older adults and found to improve executive function with effects lasting as long as a year.

 

>>Read full article

---

---