Could a simple weekly habit help protect the brain as we age? New findings from Japan suggest that time spent in the kitchen could provide more than just food, SciTechDaily reports.
Cooking at home could mean more than saving money. It could also help protect the brain as we age. A new study suggests that meal preparation even once a week is associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia among older adults.
The researchers found that this simple habit was associated with about a 30% reduction in risk overall. The effect was even stronger for people with little cooking experience, where the risk reduction approached 70%.
Everyday home cooking has gone downhill in recent decades as prepackaged meals and takeaways have become more common. While this change saves time, it can also eliminate an activity that involves both the body and the mind.
For the brain, cooking is a complex activity. It requires planning, memory, attention and coordination. Even basic steps like following a recipe or timing the addition of several ingredients can activate multiple areas of the brain simultaneously. For older people, this type of routine mental stimulation can help maintain cognitive function over time.
It also adds a mild form of physical activity and can encourage healthier eating, both of which are associated with healthy aging.
What the study found about the effects of cooking on the brain over time
The analysis included 10,978 adults aged 65 and over from the Japan Gerontological Assessment Study – a large observational project that tracks population ageing,
the physical and cognitive health of older people, as well as the social and behavioral factors that influence quality of life after retirement age.
Participants included in the research based on this study were followed for six years, until 2022, to monitor cognitive health.
About 20% were 80 years or older, and half were women. About a third had less than nine years of education. About 40 percent reported annual incomes below 2 million yen ($12,500), and more than half were retired.
Participants reported how often they prepared meals from scratch, with options ranging from “never” to “more than five times a week.” They also assessed their cooking skills based on seven core competencies, from cleaning fruit and vegetables to making stews.
About half said they cooked at least five times a week, while more than a quarter did not cook at all. Women and people with more culinary experience were more likely to prepare meals regularly than men and those with less experience.
Dementia cases were identified using the registries of Japan's public insurance system, which tracks cases of cognitive impairment severe enough to require care.
Main results of the study conducted in Japan
More frequent cooking at home was associated with a lower risk of dementia in both men and women. However, the intensity of this relationship depended on the level of culinary skills.
Cooking meals from scratch at least once a week was associated with a 23% lower risk of dementia in men and 27% in women, compared to cooking less than once a week.
Among people with limited cooking skills, even cooking once a week was associated with a 67% lower risk.
People with higher cooking skills also had a reduced risk of dementia, but increasing the frequency of cooking did not seem to have added benefits.
Limitations and wider context
These results remained consistent after the researchers adjusted for factors such as lifestyle, income and education. Associations were also independent of other activities related to cognitive health, including creative manual activities, volunteering, and gardening.
Because this was an observational study, the researchers cannot prove that cooking directly prevents dementia. They also point out that mild forms of the disease may not have been included in the registry data.
Cultural differences in diet and culinary practices may also limit the degree to which these results can be generalized.
However, the researchers conclude: “Creating an environment where people can cook as they age could be important for preventing dementia.”
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