An observational study involving more than 10,000 older adults linked preparing meals at home with a lower risk of dementia, especially among those with limited cooking skills.
Preparing a home-cooked meal at least once a week could reduce the risk of dementia among older adults by 30 per cent. That risk could be even 70 per cent lower for people with limited cooking experience: this is what a study carried out in Japan and published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health suggests.
Researchers wanted to understand whether the frequency of cooking at home could be associated with the incidence of dementia and whether this depended on culinary skills. The study involved 10,978 participants aged 65 or older. Participants completed questionnaires about how often they prepared meals at home — from never to more than five times a week — as well as their level of cooking skills. These were assessed according to seven abilities, ranging from being able or unable to peel fruit and vegetables to being able or unable to prepare stews. Cases of dementia were identified through public healthcare system records, considering those requiring care assistance.
Data analysis showed that a higher frequency of preparing meals at home was associated with a lower risk of dementia in both men and women, although with differences depending on cooking skill level.
Cooking at least once a week was associated with a 23 per cent lower risk of dementia in men and a 27 per cent lower risk in women compared with cooking less than once a week. Among people with poor cooking skills, preparing a meal at least once a week was associated with a 67 per cent reduction in dementia risk.
These results remained consistent even after accounting for potentially influential factors such as lifestyle, household income and years of education, and were independent of other activities positively associated with cognitive reserve, such as crafts, volunteering and gardening.
As this was an observational study, researchers stressed that no definitive conclusions can be drawn about a cause-and-effect relationship. In addition, mild dementia cases may not have been included in the registry data, and the classification of cooking skills may not have distinguished between people who prepared simple meals because they disliked cooking and those who were unable to do so. Finally, the results may not be generalizable, since eating habits and cooking methods vary across cultures. According to the researchers, however, meal preparation for older adults is not only an important source of physical activity but also of cognitive stimulation. Creating an environment where people can continue cooking meals in later life could therefore be important for dementia prevention.