Dancing may be a dynamic tool in decreasing dementia

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to simply put on some music each day, dance to your heart’s delight while reducing your risk of developing dementia?  That thought may not be so far-fetched.  It’s time to put on your dancing shoes as a study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience showed that older people who routinely exercised had reversed signs of aging in their brain and dancing was the top method of movement having the most profound effect.

Many studies have come out extolling the brain benefits of exercise and physical activity.  Physical exercise appears to have the ability to counteract age-related declines in both mental and physical capacity. This is good news as Alzheimer’s disease shows no signs of slowing down.

The health toll of Alzheimer’s disease

The concern over the rise in dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease is sobering.  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2018, 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s and by 2050, that number is expected to expand to almost 14 million.  It is the 6th leading cause of death killing more people with breast or prostate cancer combined.  One in three older Americans will die with some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s. 

With the expected rise in Alzheimer’s and with no cure at this time in sight, researchers are scrambling to find other methods people can do to either slow down the progression but ideally to prevent it from happening to begin with.

Study on the effects of dancing on dementia

The small study which looked at dancing as a deterrent to dementia, recruited 26 elderly volunteers, with an average age of 68, who were assigned either to an eighteen-month weekly course of learning dance routines or endurance and flexibility training.  Both groups showed an increase in the hippocampus region of the brain.  This is important because this area can be prone to age-related decline and is affected by diseases like Alzheimer’s.  It also plays a key role in memory and learning, as well as keeping one’s balance.

Before the study was conducted, what was not known or understood was if one type of exercise was better than another in regards to preserving brain health.  This is why the researchers split the elderly volunteers into two exercise groups.  One group were assigned to do a traditional fitness training program of mainly repetitive exercises, such as cycling or Nordic walking while the other group were assigned to learn new dance moves weekly. 

The seniors in the dance group were constantly challenged by learning dance routines of different genres – jazz, square, Latin-American, and line dance. Steps, arm-patterns, formations, speed and rhythms were changed every second week to keep them in a constant learning process.  The most challenging aspect for them was to recall the dance routines under the pressure of time and without any cues from the instructors. 

This study focused primarily on what if any changes occurred in the hippocampal volume and balance of the volunteers.  The hippocampus was of special interest as this brain structure is especially affected by normal and pathological aging and plays a key role in major cognitive processes such as memory and learning and is also involved in preserving balance.  Maintaining good balance into old age is crucial for well-being, independent living and overall quality of life. 

What was observed was that both groups of dancing and fitness training saw increases in their hippocampal volumes.  However, only the volunteers in the dance group had improved balance capabilities. 

The advice from the researchers was that in order to remain as independent as long as possible, physical activity is one lifestyle factor that can make this happen.  Dancing certainly can be a dynamic piece of the puzzle in challenging both the body and mind, especially as we grow older.