Dementia is now one of the biggest public health challenges worldwide. As the population ages, cases are rapidly increasing, affecting not only patients but also families and healthcare systems.
Experts predict that the number of people living with dementia will rise significantly in the coming years, making prevention and delay crucial. In recent years, the scientific community has increasingly focused on lifestyle’s role in reducing dementia risk.
According to Dr. Trisha Pasricha, associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and scientist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), dancing can reduce the risk of developing dementia by up to 76%. Through her column Ask a Doctor in the Washington Post, she references studies from the 1980s that tracked hundreds of adults and analyzed their physical and cognitive activity frequency.
Activities like puzzles, board games, and learning musical instruments have been linked to better cognitive health. However, a physical activity seems to stand out.
The findings show that individuals who danced more than once a week had a 76% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who danced rarely or not at all. She explains that dance is beneficial because it activates the brain on multiple levels simultaneously: rhythm, memory, spatial movement, balance, and social interaction. “It’s exercise, balance, creativity, and social contact all in one activity,” she notes.
While several activities were linked to a lower risk of dementia, among physical activities, dance emerged as the most effective.
In an era where dementia spreads silently, these findings remind us that prevention can be found in simple daily habits—even in something as timeless as dance.
