Certain hobbies can delay memory loss
Reading a book, quilting or playing computer games can delay the onset of dementia, a U.S. study suggests, according to a story from the BBC news. But watching TV may hasten memory loss, researchers found.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota compared almost 200 people aged 70 to 89 with mild memory problems to a group who had no impairment. They asked volunteers about their daily activities within the past year and how mentally active they had been between ages 50 to 65.
Participants who had read, played games or engaged in craft hobbies like patchworking or knitting had a 40 percent reduced risk of memory impairment. In later life, those same activities reduced the risk by between 30 and 50 percent.
Those who watched TV for less than seven hours a day were also 50 percent less likely to develop memory loss than those who watched TV for longer periods of time.
The findings are to be presented to an American Academy of Neurology meeting.