A recipe for brain health? Cooking once a week may lower dementia risk

What if a simple kitchen habit could help keep the brain healthier in later life? A six-year study in Japan has found that older adults who cooked at home at least once a week were less likely to develop dementia requiring long-term care than those who cooked less frequently.

The population-based study tracked 10,978 people aged 65 and above, among whom 1,195 developed dementia during the six-year follow-up. After accounting for demographic, socioeconomic and health factors, the researchers found that men who cooked at least once a week had a 23% lower risk of dementia, while the risk was 27% lower among women, compared with those who cooked less than once a week.

The link was even stronger among people with limited cooking skills. For this group, more frequent home cooking was associated with a 67% lower risk of dementia in older adults.


The findings, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, were based on data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. Researchers assessed cooking frequency and skills at the beginning of the study and then tracked dementia requiring care through Japan's public long-term care insurance records.

Dr (Col) Joy Dev Mukherji, chairman and head, neurology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, said cooking is a surprisingly complex activity from a neurological point of view. "It involves planning, attention, working memory, while also combining movement and sensory stimulation," he said. However, he cautioned against interpreting the findings as proof that cooking prevents dementia.

“This was an observational study and does not prove that cooking prevents dementia. It is also possible that people in the early stages of cognitive decline may gradually stop cooking because of difficulties with planning and memory,” he said.

Dr Manjari Tripathi, head of neurology at AIIMS, highlighted the social dimension of cooking, saying preparing meals with friends, family or the wider community could provide additional cognitive and social engagement. She also encouraged men to cook, saying the activity must not be viewed as restricted to women.

Interestingly, the association was strongest among people with lower cooking skills, possibly because less experienced cooks engage more in planning and problem-solving. However, this was not established by the study. Doctors said the broader message is to remain engaged in meaningful activities involving learning, planning, movement and social interaction, rather than viewing cooking as a treatment for dementia.

Dementia results from a range of diseases and injuries that affect the brain, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form and accounting for an estimated 60–70% of cases. As a result, dementia is now the seventh leading cause of death globally and a major cause of disability and dependency among older people.

(With inputs from Times of India)