Neuroscience News: Healthy Habits May Improve Longevity and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
“A study recently published in the British Medical Journal found that people ages 65 and older who had a healthy lifestyle lived longer—3.1 years longer for women, 5.7 years longer for men—than their peers who didn’t have the same healthy lifestyle. They also spent more of their remaining years without Alzheimer’s disease.”
“In the study, participants had a high lifestyle score if they reported at least four of these five habits, or what researchers called healthy factors:
Eating the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay (MIND) diet
Staying engaged in cognitive activities like reading and puzzles
Being physically active for at least 150 minutes a week
Not smoking
Limiting alcohol use (no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men)”
“Previously, researchers have shown that the MIND diet, which is part of the lifestyle score, is associated with a slower cognitive decline and a lower risk for dementia. The MIND diet favors healthy fats and plants over animal-based and highly processed foods.”
“Researchers are trying to understand the epidemiological factors focused on biological processes, blood and neuroimaging biomarkers, and risk factors (including psychological and social determinants) that contribute to the development of dementia.”
“A healthy lifestyle was associated with a longer life expectancy among men and women, and they lived a larger proportion of their remaining years without Alzheimer’s dementia. The life expectancy estimates might help health professionals, policy makers, and stakeholders to plan future healthcare services, costs, and needs.”
Read the full article here.
#Habits #Alzheimers #Longevity
My Take:
This is, for better or worse, a subject that is near and dear to me. Genetically speaking, both sides of my family tree are full of Alzheimer’s as well as dementia. And so, with that in mind, I feel like I need to do all I can (however much this may be within my personal control) to live my life in a way where I can be as preventative as possible when it comes to maintaining my mental faculties with age.
And as a question for you all:
How pressing of a worry would you say you have over the risk of Alzheimer’s/dementia in regards to aging?
@sereneSunset26 I think that my worry in regards to the risk of Alzheimer's is not higher than the average person. I am more worried about whether or not it runs in my family. My mom is adopted, and while she knows her biological side, I don't know much about their risk of Alzheimer's. I'm not sure if I would want to be tested for it either. I think that just getting old stinks and it's important to be healthy while we can!
@fruityPond7887
I definitely get not wanting to be tested while not wanting that kind of potential knowledge to be hanging over you; it's like waiting for the other metaphorical shoe to drop.
At any rate, at my age now I can certainly attest to feeling the effects of my years more and more. As someone who was like a mom to me growing up said, "you really do just have to enjoy every day." And I think there's a lot of truth to that.
@sereneSunset26 Yeah she's right. Unfortunately, we never know what's going to happen so it's really essential that we enjoy the time we have and spend time with our loved ones. It's hard to be conscious of this during everyday stress, but just living with gratitude is important!
@fruityPond7887
Yep!!
I think that's why there's a reason studies have proven that attitudes with gratitude literally lead to longer lifespans. :)
@sereneSunset26 I love it! It's so simple but so easy to forget in our busy schedules! I really like to stop and think about the little things that I am grateful for when feeling stressed :) Thank you for sharing!
@fruityPond7887
No worries!!
Yeah, it is absolutely easy to get sucked into the stresses of life to the point where we (obviously including myself) can temporarily lose our perspective on life and maybe take some things for granted without realizing.
@sereneSunset26 I agree. I saw this TikTok of this girl who lost her leg and she said "always be grateful for your legs" and that really stuck with me because it's little things like that we may take for granted. We don't realize how lucky we are until we are faced with a situation like hers.
@sereneSunset26 That family history would definitely make this feel more personal. What I take from studies like this isn’t that lifestyle can guarantee you’ll avoid Alzheimer’s, but that there may be quite a bit worth doing even when genetics aren’t in your favor.
I work with Longevity.io, and one recent piece there that caught my attention looked at dementia risk and physical activity. In a pooled analysis covering more than 4 million people, higher leisure-time physical activity was associated with roughly a quarter lower dementia risk, although it was observational research and doesn’t prove cause and effect.
For me, Alzheimer’s is something I’d take seriously, but I’d try not to let the worry itself take over. Staying active, eating reasonably well, keeping mentally engaged, sleeping properly, and managing cardiovascular health all seem like worthwhile things to focus on regardless of what ultimately happens.
