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Research Shows Health Benefits of Craft
Listed under: Top Story
Published: Wednesday, February 18, 2009
New research has added weight to the widely-held belief that crafting offers health benefits to hobbyists. A new study by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota found that those who keep their mind active with craft hobbies such as knitting and patchwork are 40% less likely to develop memory problems in later life than non-hobbyists.
The findings, to be presented to an American Academy of Neurology meeting, also showed the benefit of continuing craft activities into very old age, where those people studied showed between 30% and 50% more resistance to memory problems than those who don't keep mentally active with a hobby.
"This study is exciting because it demonstrates that ageing does not need to be a passive process," said study author and neuroscientist Dr Yonas Geda. "By simply engaging in cognitive exercise, you can protect against future memory loss. Of course, the challenge with this type of research is that we are relying on past memories of the participants, therefore we need to confirm these findings with additional research."
The findings, to be presented to an American Academy of Neurology meeting, also showed the benefit of continuing craft activities into very old age, where those people studied showed between 30% and 50% more resistance to memory problems than those who don't keep mentally active with a hobby.
"This study is exciting because it demonstrates that ageing does not need to be a passive process," said study author and neuroscientist Dr Yonas Geda. "By simply engaging in cognitive exercise, you can protect against future memory loss. Of course, the challenge with this type of research is that we are relying on past memories of the participants, therefore we need to confirm these findings with additional research."
