Any type of reading helps slash dementia risk and reduce stress, new research finds

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One study found that reading newspapers, magazines and books was associated with a 33 per cent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Reading for pleasure can improve mental health, academic performance and brain function, while potentially reducing the risk of dementia, according to new research.

Scientists from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge have reviewed existing research into the benefits of reading, concluding that the hobby can have many positive effects throughout a person’s life.

Professor Barbara Sahakian and Dr Christelle Langley carried out the review with The Queen’s Reading Room, a charity founded by the Queen to promote the benefits of reading.

Their findings have been published in the journal Psychological Medicine as part of the National Year of Reading.

The researchers found that children who start reading for pleasure at a young age can develop better attention, memory and executive functioning, including problem-solving skills.

They were also more likely to perform well at school and experience fewer mental health problems in later life.

One study involving more than 10,000 young people found that children who read for pleasure also tended to have healthier lifestyles, including getting more sleep and spending less time on screens.

Dr Langley said encouraging children to read was particularly important, but stressed that they should be allowed to choose material that interests them.

“The important thing is to find something they’d really enjoy reading about,” she said, suggesting that interests such as television programmes and video games could provide a starting point.

Comics and graphic novels could also help introduce reluctant readers to the habit.

The review found benefits extending into adulthood and older age, with findings suggesting reading is associated with lower stress, greater empathy, improved wellbeing and reduced loneliness.

A study of almost 5,500 adults aged 55 and over found that people who regularly took part in cognitively stimulating activities, including reading, were significantly less likely to develop cognitive impairment over a five-year period.

Another study found that reading newspapers, magazines and books was associated with a 33 per cent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers also highlighted the social benefits of reading.

Book clubs and shared reading groups can provide opportunities for social interaction, and may help reduce isolation, particularly among older people who have difficulty taking part in more physically demanding activities.

Professor Sahakian said it was “never too late to start” reading.

The findings come amid concerns about declining reading levels among children and teenagers.

Recent international research involving around 760,000 students in 91 countries found that 15-year-olds had poorer reading skills than at any point this century, with declining literacy also affecting performance in mathematics and science.

The Queen’s Reading Room said it hoped the research would encourage more people to make time for books.

Vicki Perrin, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Books truly do make life better and we’re excited to do our bit to help everyone, everywhere, make more room for reading.”