Scientists Discover Surprising Activity that Beats Memory Games in Preventing Dementia

While mental exercises like puzzles and memory games get most of the attention for brain health, new research highlights an unexpected activity that outperforms nearly every other form of exercise in protecting against cognitive decline. Dancing more than once a week reduced dementia risk by 76 percent compared to those who rarely danced or didn't dance at all, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003. The landmark study tracked 469 adults over age 75 for more than five years, examining how various leisure activities affected dementia risk.