It would be possible to delay dementiaeven in people with a genetic risk. This is the conclusion that came out of the international conference of the Alzheimer’s Association (AAIC), which was held this Sunday, July 14 in Los Angeles (United States). Several studies, relayed by the NBC, indeed show that combine several healthy habits helps reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
60% lower risk with four habits
A first study by the American Rush University followed 2,765 people who did not suffer from dementia at the start of the research. Each participant was given a “life score”, which depended on the number of healthy behaviors they addressed in this list of five habits:
- No smoking ;
- To exercise at a moderate or vigorous level for at least 150 minutes per week;
- Eating a brain-friendly diet (the “MIND” diet, rich in green vegetables, beans, olive oil, nuts, poultry and low in red meat and fried foods);
- Consume alcohol lightly or moderately ;
- Engage in cognitive activities.
During the six years of follow-up, 608 volunteers developed Alzheimer’s disease. In the end, individuals who followed three out of five habits had a 37% lower risk of suffering from the pathology than those who practiced zero or only one. The risk was even reduced by 60% among those who adopted four out of five.
Halved for predisposed people
Likewise, a British survey found that in people with high genetic risk of cognitive decline, the risk was 32% lower in those with a healthy lifestyle.
To reach these conclusions, the researchers followed more than 195,000 healthy adults aged 60 or older. Each participant was assigned a “dementia risk score”, based on genes associated with increased danger – such as the APOE4 gene mutation. He also obtained a “life score” based on the number of healthy behaviors reported.
A total of 668 cases of dementia have been identified over six years – the probability being higher in those with a high “risk score”. But scientists observed that the risk was halved in predisposed volunteers who adopted a healthy lifestyle: one in 121 cases was avoided over a period of 10 years.
Factors “linked to lifestyle”
A third study from the American University of California at San Francisco also found that smokers were twice as likely to develop cognitive impairment as non-smokers.
These three surveys reinforce the idea “that some of these lifestyle factors may affect the trajectory of cognitive aging and the development of dementia”, concludes Dr Ronald Petersen, director of the Alzheimer’s Research Center at the Mayo Clinic, interviewed by the NBC. “We certainly accept this with heart disease. We need to adopt a similar mindset for cognitive aging.”, he believes.
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