Active mind reduces risk of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disorder that destroys brain cells. It leads to a decline in mental function affecting memory, thinking, language and behaviour. The disease affects people more than 65 years old. A new study shows that people who participate in intellectually stimulating activities such as reading, listening to the radio and playing games like checkers and cards are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from St. Luke's Medical Centre, Chicago studied 842 city residents whose average age was 76years. All the participants performed well on memory tests at the beginning of the study, and the researchers followed up with them for an average of four years later. The researchers asked about 7 common activities, including watching television; listening to the radio; reading newspapers, magazines and books; playing games, such as cards, checkers or crosswords or other puzzles; and going to museums. The amount of time the participants spent doing each activity was measured on a five-point scale with the lowest level of activity (rated a "1") for participating in an activity once a year or less, and the highest (rated a "5") signifying daily or "about every day" participation. The researchers took into account other factors that influence Alzheimer's disease risk, including certain genes, age and education. The researchers found that a person's risk for developing Alzheimer's disease decreased by 64% for each one-point increase on the participation scale when it came to intellectually stimulating activities. During the study, 139 people developed Alzheimer's. As a result, a person with infrequent cognitive activity was two times more likely to develop disease than a person with frequent cognitive activity. Participation in other types of activities such as physical exercise did not seem to affect Alzheimer's risk.