University College London | November 2020 |Leisure activity might not reduce dementia risk
Researchers at UCL report that activities such as gardening and reading in mid-life may not reduce an individual’s risk of dementia.
More than 8000 adults were studied, with the average age of the participant around 56 years of age. Each of the volunteers participation in leisure activities was recorded at the study’s outset, based on their participation in their activities, the researchers assigned them into different groups: low risk, medium risk and high risk. The subjects were followed up again, five and ten years later.
Using health records the team were able to identify who developed dementia. They also observed that some of the participants who gave up their hobbies later developed dementia. They found no association between participating in hobbies and the risk of developing dementia.
UCL press release Leisure activity might not reduce dementia risk
Primary paper is available from the journal Neurology
