Brain exercise works: crossword puzzles stave off Alzheimer's

• Any intellectually stimulating activity can potentially stave off brain disease but crosswords are particularly well suited to maintaining mental agility --- to complete them requires daily, sustained bursts of cognitive effort.
• The activity features almost universally in checklists of how to ward off neural decline, and is even a component of an experimental "brain boot camp" developed by experts on ageing at the University of California.
• Those who flexed their brains most regularly almost halved their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
• While physical exercise did not seem to delay the onset of Alzheimer's, intellectual exercise did.
• Those who did four crossword puzzles a week were less likely to develop the disease than those who managed only one.
• Other protective activities included chess, draughts, card and board games, museum visits, reading, playing a musical instrument and ballroom dancing (the last two require a good working memory and a degree of co-ordination).
• It is unclear, though, how regular brain workouts are able to postpone Alzheimer's; this is now the subject of ongoing research.
• The absence of an obvious biological mechanism has inspired worries that the link between mental exercise and delayed Alzheimer's onset is fictitious.
• This means that even among people who left education early, the ones who enjoy puzzles, play games and stay mentally active still enjoy a lower risk of Alzheimer's.
• This strengthens the theory that using your brain regularly really does sharpen and protect it.