WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- Mentally challenging activities like playing chess or bridge can significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease according to a new study.
Seniors who engaged in pastimes like playing a musical instument or even checkers lowered their risk of developing dementia by as much as 75 percent, the Washington Post reports, compared with those who didn't exercise their minds.
Citing a study lead by Joe Verghese, a neurologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, the results add to an increasing body of evidence.
"I see a lot of elderly patients -- They have so-called senior moments -- they go in a room and forget why they are there. One thing I advise is for them to increase their participation in cognitively stimulating activities."
Such benefits are widely available and inexpensive and seem to benefit all levels of education and intelligence.
Unfortunatly, the Post reports, watching television doesn't count.
