For scientists, the very low incidence of dementia among the Tsimanes and Moseténs is due to their way of life.
- In France, 1,227,558 people had dementia in 2018.
- In 2050, dementia will affect 3.31% of our population.
According to a new studye published in The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, two groups of indigenous people have the lowest rates of dementia in the world.
A single case among the Mosetén
Scientists from USC University have found that only 1% of Tsimanes and Mosetén, Bolivians living in the Amazon rainforest, have dementia. By comparison, 11% of Americans age 65 and older have dementia.
To reach their conclusions, the team studied the brain status of the Tsimanes and Moseténs using scanners and questionnaires. Of 435 Tsimanes, the researchers identified only five people over 60 with dementia, and only listed one case among the Mosetén. To their surprise, the researchers also found that Tsimanes and Mosetén with dementia frequently had unusual calcifications in the arteries buried in the skull.
Lots of physical activity
For scientists, this low incidence of dementia in these populations is due to their lifestyle. The Tsimanes and the Mosetén do indeed a lot of physical activity through cultivation, hunting and fishing, and have a very healthy diet, based on fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. They also do not suffer from air pollution.
This quality of life is also clearly bearing fruit in other respects. Previous studies have shown that the brains of Tsimanes tend to age 70% less quickly than that of their Western counterparts. They also have remarkably healthy hearts and the lowest prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis of any population.
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