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Older adults who learn to line dance, take up jazz or square dancing are better protected from memory loss and dementia than those who walk or cycle, a study shows. Dancing can help fight off the loss of brainpower as we age and brain scans show that it works better over a period of 18 months than spells of cycling or Nordic walking.
A pilot study undertaken by the University of Otago in August 2019 showed the powerful influence that music and dance can have on older adults with dementia. The study results, published in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias, show participants reported significant improvements in their quality of life after just six sessions.
According to Dr Kathrin Rehfeld, lead author of a study based at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany, "Exercise has the beneficial effect of slowing down or even counteracting age-related decline in mental and physical capacity.” It was shown that two different types of physical exercise (dancing and endurance training) both increased the area of the brain that declines with age.
Various forms of exercise were tested and it was found that line dancing, jazz and square dancing were the best. They were proven to help fight the loss of brainpower more effectively than cycling or Nordic walking, meaning that those who learn new moves are better protected from dementia than their counterparts who walk or cycle.
In a study, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, one group of volunteers undertook traditional repetitive exercises for 90-minute stints. The other group had to learn a variety of steps and some choreography as part of their dancing. This latter group showed up as having larger hippocampus’s, which is known to help protect against memory loss and dementia. The additional effort associated with learning new dances is thought to lead to reduced loss of brain volume, making dancing a good activity for older people to enjoy.
This means that anyone, but especially the elderly, who takes up line dancing could find that it offers more than just a fun, social activity. Line dancing can provide memory stimulation, mood moderation, social interaction and increase physical capacity.
Everyone, all ages and genders – yes, men, too! - can enjoy line dancing to great music. It provides gentle cardio exercise, is excellent for both mind and body, improving memory and physical mobility, and is also fun, friendly, and social.
If you would like to give it a try, come along to a line dance class, beginners included. Please contact Diane (teacher since 1994) on 0274 491 569 or Athol on 0220 685 695 for more information.
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