DANCING the tango and playing chess or the piano are the best ways to ward off senile dementia, according to a new study.

Over the past 21 years, 469 cogent adults between 75 and 85 were observed for signs of mental decline and memory loss. Those who kept their minds nimble were 75 per cent less likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

“What often happens when people get old and retire is that they withdraw from activities, live a restricted life and go and lie on the beach,” Joe Verghese, 38, a neurologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York, said.

“I would strongly encourage them to increase their level of participation. It is never too late to start improving your mental agility.” Exactly how to exercise the mind depends on the individual.

“It doesn’t matter where you start off from, what you do or what education you have as long as you get the brain working,” according to Dr Verghese, who studied at the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford, and St James’s University Hospital, Leeds.

“Do something that is mentally challenging to you,” he said.“It seems that remaining mentally agile makes the brain more healthy and more likely to resist illness, just as physical exercise can protect the body from disease.”

Strenuous mental activity also appears to stimulate the brain, according to the study, in yesterday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Ballroom dancing is the only physical activity which appears to keep dementia at bay. “Dancing involves precise physical activity, listening to the music, remembering dance steps and taking your partner into account, which is very mentally testing,” Dr Verghese said.

“Doing a daily crossword does not seem as effective, though it is difficult to know how hard people have to think,” he said. “I would recommend Scrabble because it encourages thought in a number of different directions.”

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Michael Jackson: Not the final chapter
• Indian Army spends10m rupees on golf buggies
• Brüno toned down for 15 rating