What if one of the simplest ways to keep the brain active later in life is already sitting in the kitchen? A six-year study from Japan has found that older adults who cooked at home at least once a week were less likely to develop dementia requiring long-term care than those who cooked less often.
The population-based study followed 10,978 adults aged 65 years and older and recorded 1,195 cases of dementia during the six-year follow-up. After accounting for demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors, men who cooked at least once a week had a 23% lower risk of dementia, while women had a 27% lower risk, compared with those who cooked less than once a week.
Dining and Cooking