Doctors Reveal Whether Eating With Your Non-Dominant Hand Has Brain Benefits

The useful part

Without thinking about it, most people default to using their dominant hand when picking up a fork or mug, as they do when picking up a pen or pencil. Recently, though, chatter on social media suggests that using your non-dominant hand (for example, using your left hand if you're right-handed) when eating or doing other tasks can be a way to challenge your brain. Using your non-dominant hand isn't going to lower your risk of developing dementia, but continually learning new skills can be good for your brain.

How it works

• Research shows learning new skills is good for your cognition.
• When it comes to using your non-dominant hand as a way to lower dementia risk, "the brass tacks is that there is no direct evidence," said Dr David Gonzalez, a neuropsychologist at Rush University Medical...
• Dr Benjamin Rosenstein, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, agreed.
• "There's no evidence that using your non-dominant hand for activity is going to help prevent dementia." But that doesn't mean this habit is all bad.

What to take from it

In turn, this may lower your risk of dementia.

Details worth keeping

Can simply eating with your non-dominant hand impact dementia? Gonzalez said he appreciates the idea of challenging your brain.