The seven lifestyle factors in middle age protect against dementia later in life

Adopting seven healthy habits in middle age significantly reduces the risk of dementia, according to a study.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, followed nearly 14,000 women in their 50s over two decades.

Participants were asked about seven lifestyle factors associated with dementia and were followed up for a diagnosis of the disease. Separately, the seven factors reduced risk by about 6 percent.

Because dementia begins in the brain years before diagnosis, the scientists say it is likely that midlife habits affect patients’ risk.

The seven factors are: being active, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, having normal blood pressure, controlling cholesterol levels and having lower blood sugar levels.

Dr. Pamela Rist, an assistant professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who led the research, said: “It can be empowering for people to know that taking action like exercising half an hour a day or checking their blood pressure , can reduce their risk of dementia.”

She added: “Now that we know that dementia can start in the brain decades before diagnosis, it’s important that we learn more about how your midlife habits can affect your risk of dementia in old age.

“The good news is that a healthy lifestyle in middle age can lead to a lower risk of dementia later in life.”

In the study, the scientists followed 13,720 women, who at the beginning of the article had an average age of 54.

After two decades, 1,771 participants – or 13 percent – developed dementia.

For each of the seven health factors, people were given a score of zero and one, resulting in a possible total score of seven.

The average value was 4.3 at the beginning of the study and 4.2 ten years later.

After factors such as age and education were taken into account, the researchers found that for every one point increase in the score, a person’s risk of dementia decreased by six percent.

Richard Oakley, deputy director of research at the UK charity Alzheimer’s Society, who was not involved in the study, said: “While aging is the biggest risk factor for developing dementia, this research has again shown that there is something that people can do to reduce their risk.

“While several risk factors such as age and genetics are beyond our control, this preliminary study supports the existing evidence that lifestyle factors play a role in dementia risk.”

Women were enrolled in the study between 1992 and 1994 and followed up until 2018.

The study will be presented at the 75th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston in April.

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Scientists have known for years that smoking, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels increase the risk of dementia.

All these factors increase the level of inflammation and impede blood flow to the brain.

Eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight can also be protective, reducing stress and inflammation and preventing dangerous buildup of toxic chemicals in the brain.

The scientists did not take into account the influence of other lifestyle factors on the risk of dementia, such as sleeping less than the absolute minimum of seven hours a night.

Dementia rates are rising in the US, with estimates suggesting that the number of patients could rise from 7 million to 12 million by 2040.

Scientists aren’t sure what’s causing the increase, but it may be due to people living longer, being more obese and sedentary.

The new study was supported by the US National Institutes of Health.

Dementia is an umbrella term for cognitive decline, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common.

Scientists aren’t sure about the cause, but higher levels of inflammation and a build-up of proteins in the brain have been linked to the disease.

Last week, experts from University College London (UCL) said staying active into adulthood could help prevent dementia.

Their long-term study found that people who exercise as they age are more likely to have good brain health than those who start an activity for a shorter period of time but then give up.

But even starting to exercise in your 60s is better than doing nothing at all for improving cognitive function, the study found.

In 2020, there were more than 55 million people living with dementia worldwide.