Cooking Once A Week Could Slash Dementia Risk

By 2024, Alzheimer’s Society said that they expect the number of people with dementia in the UK to rise to 1.4 million.

We still don’t fully understand how conditions like Alzheimer’s develop. But researchers think that up to 45% of dementia cases are “potentially preventable” by addressing 14 lifestyle factors.

These include more obvious choices, like not smoking and staying active. And a new paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health had suggested that another, simpler step – cooking, even as little as once a week – could significantly reduce dementia risk, too.

In this research, which involved 10,978 over-65s, the study authors compared people’s self-reported cooking rates and skill levels to their dementia incidence over time.

They tracked them for six years.

Compared to cooking less than once a week, cooking once a week was linked to a 23% lower dementia risk among men and 27% for women.

For those who weren’t experienced cooks, making a homemade meal once a week was associated with a 67% lower likelihood.

People who cooked at least five times a week saw the best results, however. And those who were highly competent in the kitchen also saw benefits, though these didn’t seem to rise with cooking frequency.

These findings seemed to hold true after accounting for other factors we know can affect dementia risk, like income level and education.

“Creating an environment where people can cook meals when they are older may be important for the prevention of dementia,” the study authors concluded.

A birdwatching study found that those who were really, really skilled at the hobby saw lower dementia risk than less-skilled peers. “High-level expertise in a complex hobby can provide a protective ‘cognitive reserve’ as we age,” the authors wrote.

However, speaking to the Science Media Centre, Dr Susan Kohlhaas, an Executive Director of Research and Partnerships at Alzheimer’s Research UK, stressed that this was an observational study that couldn’t prove causation.

She added, “People who cook regularly may also have healthier diets, be more physically active, and be in better overall health, all of which are linked to better brain health. It’s also possible the reverse is true: people with early memory and thinking problems might lose the ability or motivation to cook, leading them to cook less often”.

She also noted that though the study lasted six years, participants only reported their cooking habits once.

She continued that while this study may not be conclusive, “there is good evidence that keeping active, eating well, and staying socially connected can help support brain health”.