How washing the dishes could reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Reducing your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s could be as simple as staying active doing regular household chores.

Even gentle exercise can benefit mental and emotional as well as physical health, according to a new study.

[Related news: 6 in 10 dementia cases are undiagnosed]

The research linked routine household activity, such as cleaning and gardening, to a reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia - good news for older people who are unable to take part in strenuous formal activities such as jogging, swimming or sports.

The researchers monitored the activity of over 700 elderly participants for 10 days using motion tracking sensors, before analysing their mental health over the next four years. Those who had the most movement logged by the motion trackers were found to have the lowest risk of developing age-related mental deterioration.

“This suggests that people in their 80s who can’t participate in formal exercise still get a benefit by leading a more active lifestyle,” explained lead author Dr Aron S. Buchman, from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “It doesn’t make a difference if you’re chopping onions or walking up and down stairs or on an exercise machine.”

The study didn’t make a differentiation between vigorous exercise and gentle activity when the motion totals were totted up, so the researchers can only make an association rather than a direct link between moderate physical movement and the reduction in risk. What it does show, however, is that any activity is better than none.

“Do the exercise – push it,” urged Dr Richard S. Isaacson, associate professor of clinical neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of medicine. “This is one part of the puzzle.”