Research has been published suggesting that visits to museums may help reduce the risk of developing dementia. 

Andrea Zammit, of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, authored a study that looked at how lifelong engagement with intellectual stimulation correlated with dementia risk and cognitive decline. 

The study found that such activities had a strong influence on supporting cognitive health for older people. 

The study looked at Alzheimer’s disease, the commonest form of dementia, and tracked a group of just under 2,000 people, with an average age around 80 and without dementia at the start of the study. 

The effect of intellectual stimulation is a lifelong project the study suggests. 

Participants were followed for an average of eight years and were surveyed on their life experience. 

The researchers looked at “intellectual enrichment” at three stages of life: early, middle-aged, and later-life. 

Museum visits were included in the activities considered to intellectually enrich middle-aged life. 

Of the participants, 551 developed Alzheimer’s disease. A further 719 were recorded to have mild cognitive impairment.

Those with the highest scores for cognitive enrichment had a lower rate of developing Alzheimers, and the study concludes that (after adjustments) “higher scores in lifetime enrichment” are associated with a 38% reduction in risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

There was around a five year difference in the average age of onset of Alzheimer’s between groups with the highest and lowest scores for enrichment. 

Andrea Zammit said: “Our findings are encouraging, suggesting that consistently engaging in a variety of mentally stimulating activities throughout life may make a difference in cognition. Public investments that expand access to enriching environments, like libraries and early education programs designed to spark a lifelong love of learning, may help reduce the incidence of dementia.”