How washing the dishes can protect you from DEMANS: Staying in shape keeps the brain healthy in old age

Researchers say keeping fit by just doing housework can reduce the risk of dementia.

Adults who “frequently” sweep, iron, and take out the trash are one-fifth less likely to suffer from vicious amnesia than those who don’t care.

Chinese experts say the benefits of the brain all come from staying healthy.

Experts already acknowledge some household chores, such as mowing the lawn, as well as aerobic exercise.

Lead author Professor Huan Song said: “Our study showed that people can reduce their risk of dementia by engaging in healthy physical and mental activities more frequently.

“More research is needed to confirm our findings.

“However, our results are encouraging that these simple lifestyle changes can be beneficial.”

Dozens of studies in recent years have shown that regular mental, physical and social activity keeps the brain healthy in old age.

But Professor Song and his team wanted to learn more about the role played by a wide variety of lifestyle habits in the development of the disease, which affects 900,000 Britons and 5.8 million Americans.

Researchers tracked 501,376,000 Britons using data from the British Biobank, a center for medical and genetic information. Employees regularly answer questions about their lifestyle.

At the start of the study, middle-aged volunteers were interviewed about their physical activities, including how often they did housework and exercise.

The participants were also asked how often they saw their loved ones and used the telephone, computer and TV.

Over the 11 years of the study, 5,185 people developed dementia.

The findings, published in the journal Neurology, show that most physical and mental activities are linked to dementia.

Those who “frequently” did household chores were 21% less likely to develop dementia than those who did less.

Meanwhile, people who exercised regularly had a 35% lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia compared to their lazy counterparts.

And those who saw their loved ones every day were 15 percent less at risk than those who barely saw their friends and family.

The team also calculated the incidence of dementia based on activity patterns in person-years, taking into account the number of people in the study and how long they were followed.

For every 1,000 person-years, there were 0.86 cases of dementia among those who did housework regularly, jumping to 1.02 cases among those who did not.

There were 0.45 cases among regular athletes, while there were 1.59 cases among those who rarely train.

And among those who saw their family every day, there were 0.62 diagnoses of dementia, compared to 0.80 among those who visited their loved ones every few months.

The results took into account risk factors such as age, income, and smoking. Even those with a family history of dementia benefited from being physically and mentally active.

However, the data are based on the person’s reported physical and mental activity and may therefore contain errors.

Scientists believe that staying active can reduce the chances of developing dementia as it maintains blood flow to the brain and can promote the growth and survival of brain cells.

It also protects against heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and obesity, which increase the risk of dementia.

WHAT IS DEMENTATION? The deadly disease that takes away the agony of your memories

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of neurological disorders.

GLOBAL CARE

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (affecting the brain) that affect memory, thinking, and behavior.

There are many different types of dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common.

Some people may have a combination of dementias.

Regardless of the type of diagnosis, each person will experience their own dementia in a unique way.

Dementia is a global problem, but it is more common in wealthier countries where people can live to a very advanced age.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ATTENDING?

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that there are more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK today. This figure is expected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting 50 to 75 percent of individuals diagnosed.

There are approximately 5.5 million Alzheimer’s patients in the United States. A similar percentage increase is expected in the coming years.

As a person ages, the risk of developing dementia also increases.

Diagnoses are improving, but it is believed that many people with dementia are still undiagnosed.

IS THERE A TREATMENT?

There is currently no cure for dementia.

But new drugs can slow progression, and the earlier they are detected, the more effective treatments are.

Source: Alzheimer’s Association

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