Researchers found that older persons whose brains exhibit symptoms of dementia still fare better cognitively when they lead healthy lifestyles, as reported in JAMA Neurology last month. According to the research, elderly persons can protect themselves from cognitive deterioration and increase their "cognitive reserve" by leading a healthy lifestyle.
✅www.pixabay.comA long-term study that examined autopsy data from 1997 to 2022 and looked at patients' lifestyles and health, the Rush Memory and Aging Project, was utilized by the researchers.
Details on the meals, cognitive performance before death, and lifestyle variables including alcohol consumption and physical activity were among the many pieces of information analyzed by scientists after the death of 586 patients.
The average lifespan of the patients was 90.9 years, with 70.8% of them being female. Physical indicators of dementia, such as the accumulation of amyloid plaques—which interfere with brain cell activity and are linked to Alzheimer's disease—were investigated in their brain autopsy.
Patients' cognitive function improved in the years leading up to their deaths if they scored higher on five measures of healthy lifestyle: nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation, and reduced alcohol intake. Even when autopsies revealed dementia-related brain alterations, the link persisted.
Improved cognition was connected with even a one-point rise in lifestyle score.
Based on their findings, the researchers conclude that leading a healthy lifestyle may increase one's "cognitive reserve," which would enable patients to maintain their cognitive abilities even after brain alterations have taken place.
Diet and nutrition, among other lifestyle factors, may shield the brain against oxidative stress and inflammation, according to the study. The researchers point out that the lifestyle data was self-reported, and the majority of patients were White.
In a linked editorial in JAMA Neurology, two researchers state that the data "is a crucial step forward" in answering issues regarding the links between lifestyle, brain alterations, and cognition. More research into reducing the risk of dementia among varied populations is needed, and they advocate for the inclusion of lifestyle variables in the drug regimen for Alzheimer's disease.