TV doctor Michael Mosely says reading may help protect against dementia.
He says daily 'leisure reading' could help you improve brain connectivity and can help you keep your mind active and healthy. He also said you don't have to read huge amounts, just a bite-sized chunk a day.
Citing a number of studies the doctor - who is primarily known for weight loss - says a few pages a day can do wonders for your mental and cognitive health. There are other benefits too, for example reading can also increase blood flow into the entire brain.
He and his guest discussed the best ways to implement reading into daily life and how to reap the mental benefits on a recent podcast, reports the Express.
On his podcast Just One Thing, Dr Mosely said: “Taking time out of your day to read a novel can have impressive benefits, improving brain connectivity, creating new neural pathways and even protecting against dementia.”
If you are already enjoying getting lost in the pages of good fiction, great. However, if reading isn’t your thing, research might convince you to give it a go.
Dr Mosley said: “Best of all, it may protect against cognitive decline as we get older. Studies from China, Taiwan and the US have all found that reading every day may be protective against dementia.
“And if all that's not enough to convince you to pick up a novel, get this, reading not only helped keep you mentally fit as you age, it could even be the key to a longer life.”
In fact, reading has been linked to a whole variety of benefits, ranging from mental health to empathy. When it comes to your brain, novels seem to be the best choice of reading.
“That's because reading something which has characters in the story seems to deliver a remarkable number of benefits to your brain,” added Dr Mosley.
The podcaster said: “Reading can also increase the connectivity in your brain and create new neural pathways.”
A guest on the podcast, Dr Raymond Mar, who is a professor of Psychology at York University, explained how to reap the benefits.
To do it by the book, Dr Mar shared that you should turn reading into a regular habit. Even reading “small bite sized chunks” on a daily basis can do the trick. The crucial thing is to enjoy it and relax so all genres are a good choice.
Dr Mar said: “This is leisure reading. You're doing this to relax. You don't want to feel like you're forcing yourself to do something like some sort of arduous homework.”
If reading is not something you’re doing already, Dr Mosley encouraged to include reading in the next chapter of your life.
“Your brain, your empathy, and even your mental health could benefit,” Dr Mosley concluded.
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