华尔兹到健康老年

Waltz Into a Healthy Old Age

The answer to staying healthy and happy as you age may be as close as the nearest dance floor, according to a chorus of studies.

Dancing offers mental, physical, and social benefits, while perhaps reducing the risk of illness and even counteracting the ravages of aging, a study at Queen’s University Belfast found.

“It alleviates social isolation and quite literally helps take away the aches and pains associated with older age,” said researcher Dr. Jonathan Skinner.

Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that ballroom dancing helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Another study found that older people who danced had better balance and gait than non-dancers.

In the dementia study, volunteers were studied over a 20-year period. They answered questions on how often they engaged in six hobbies that stimulate the brain, including reading, writing, and doing puzzles. They also detailed how often they participated in 11 physical activities, including bicycling, swimming, team sports, and ballroom dance.

Those who took part in brain-stimulating activities lowered their risk of dementia as much as 47 percent. But the researchers found no reduction in rates of dementia for physical activities — except for ballroom dancing, which lowered the risk by an amazing 76 percent.

“Dancing is a complex activity,” said Dr. Joe Verghese of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York City. There’s an intellectual aspect to dancing. When you dance, you have to remember the steps and how to dance them, you have to move in time with the music and you have to adapt to the actions of your partner. All are mentally demanding.”

From Newmax.com / Health Alert E-mail April 18, 2009