Cooking, washing the dishes and gardening can slash the risk of Alzheimer's by more than a fifth, according to new research. A study of more than half a million Brits found those who did household chores were 21 percent less likely to develop the disease.
It was the second biggest protective activity behind regular brisk walks or bike rides - which lowered cases by 35 per cent. The other vital factor was meeting up with family and friends - lowering rates by 15 per cent.
Lead author Professor Huan Song, of Sichuan University in China, said: "Many studies have identified potential risk factors for dementia. But we wanted to know more about a wide variety of lifestyle habits and their potential role in the prevention of dementia.
"Our study found that exercise, household chores and social visits were linked to a reduced risk of various types of dementia."
The Chinese team analysed data from the ongoing UK Biobank study which is tracking the health of 501,376 older people. Those most engaged in physical and mental activities were least likely to be diagnosed with dementia over an average follow up period of eleven years.
Similar patterns were identified when the amount of time all participants spent in the study was added up - a statistical technique known as 'person-years'. Dementia incidence rates in people who got frequent exercise were 0.45 cases for every 1,000 person-years - compared to 1.59 for 'couch potatoes'.
Those who did lots of household chores had a rate of 0.86 cases - rising to 1.02 among peers who didn't. People who visited family daily had a rate of 0.62 cases - increasing to 0.8 for those who only saw them once every few months.
Prof Song said: "Our study has found by engaging more frequently in healthy physical and mental activities people may reduce their risk of dementia."
All participants benefited from the protective effects - whether or not they had a family history of dementia. Calculations took into account potentially influential factors such as age, smoking and income.
All participants benefited from the protective effect of physical and mental activities, whether or not they had a family history of dementia. At the outset they completed questionnaires about a range of tasks such as how often they climbed a flight of stairs, went walking or did strenuous sports.
They were also asked about household chores, job related activities and the kind of transportation they used, including walking or cycling to work. Another survey focused on education level, adult classes, time spent with friends and family and visits to pubs, social clubs or religious groups.
It also asked how often they watched TV, talked on the phone and used electronic devices to play computer games, for instance.
They also reported if they had any immediate family members with dementia to work out genetic risk. By the end, 5,185 participants had developed dementia.
Prof Song said: "More research is needed to confirm our findings. However, our results are encouraging that making these simple lifestyle changes may be beneficial."
The number of dementia cases worldwide will triple to over 150 million by 2050. With no cure in sight, there is an increasing focus on protective habits. In the UK, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia affect more than 920,000 - a figure that will reach two million in the next three decades.
The study was published in the journal Neurology.
