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This article came my way today as my Beloved suffers with Alzheimers. With Line and Square dancing mentioned, Circle dancing must be up there too, along with its unique emotional sensitivity. New research shows that dancing can do more than keep you physically fit. It could also help you fight off dementia It’s easy to see why dancing is good for your health; it keeps you fit and makes you feel good. But a growing amount of evidence also shows that dancing has another benefit. For dancing can improve brain power and even help ward off Alzheimer’s and dementia. A new study by the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases reveals that certain dance styles are particularly beneficial for older people. The study involved people with an average age of 68 and found that those who regularly did line dancing, Latin American, jazz and square dancing had a larger hippocampus (the area of the brain associated with age-related decline) and were therefore better protected against dementia. Interestingly, researchers also compared dancing with other physical activities such as walking and cycling but found that dancing had the most powerful impact. ‘Dancing is a powerful tool to set new challenges for body and mind, especially in older age,’ explains Dr Kathrin Rehfield, lead author of the study which was published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
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