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

Giving your brain a new challenge is good for it, but there are important guardrails to keep in mind.

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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. In turn, this may lower your risk of dementia.

Research shows learning new skills is good for your cognition. But can simply eating with your non-dominant hand impact dementia?

Here’s what experts say:

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.

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 Center in Chicago.

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. Staying engaged in hobbies and........

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