Mayo Study: Engage In Art, Craft and Painting In Old Age To Prevent Dementia

A latest study has revealed that getting engaged in art and craft work, like painting and sculpting during the middle and old age can help reduce the risk of developing dementia. According to the study, the risk of showing first signs of dementia gets reduced by 72 percent if the person is an art and craft hobbyist.

The researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota conducted their study on 256 men subjects with an average age of 87. The researchers followed the subjects for four continuous years and noted their participation in craft and other social activities including art, painting, drawing, pottery, quilling, sewing, internet surfing, book club enrolment and theatre.

At the end of the study, one-third of the subjects had developed mild cognitive impairment, known to cause dementia. However, the researchers noticed that those who indulged in the arts were 73 percent less prone to have problems related to memory or thinking compared to the ones who crafted, who were 45 percent less likely to show such symptoms. In addition, the study revealed that the socialized ones were 55 percent and the internet surfers were 52 percent less likely to develop memory problems.

"Our study supports the idea that engaging the mind may protect neurons, or the building blocks of the brain, from dying, stimulates growth of new neurons, or may help recruit new neurons to maintain cognitive activities in old age," said Dr Rosebud Roberts from the Mayo Clinic, reported The Telegraph. The study has been published in the online journal Neurology.

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