Seven habits that lower your risk of dementia
A recent study has discovered that seven cardiovascular and brain health factors, known as the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7, may play a vital role in decreasing the chances of developing dementia. The research followed female participants for two decades and identified seven habits that can significantly reduce the risk of dementia. The preliminary study was released on February 27, 2023, and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 75th Annual Meeting, held in Boston and online from April 22-27, 2023.
Pamela Rist, ScD, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, stated,
“Since we now know that dementia can begin in the brain decades before diagnosis, it’s important that we learn more about how your habits in middle age can affect your risk of dementia in old age. The good news is that making healthy lifestyle choices in middle age may lead to a decreased risk of dementia later in life.”
The seven habits that can help reduce your risk of dementia include:
- Maintaining an active lifestyle
- Eating healthily
- Keeping a healthy weight
- Not smoking
- Maintaining a healthy blood pressure level
- Controlling cholesterol
- Having low blood sugar
How the study was conducted
After 20 years, researchers analyzed Medicare data to determine those diagnosed with dementia. The study included 13,720 female participants, with an average age of 54 at the beginning of the research. Of the participants, 1,771, or 13%, developed dementia.
Participants were given scores based on each of the seven health factors. Zero points were assigned for poor or intermediate health, while one point was given for ideal health, with a total possible score of 7. The average score at the start of the study was 4.3, which decreased to 4.2 ten years later.
After adjusting for age and education, the study found that for each increase of one point in the score, a participant’s risk of dementia was reduced by 6%. “It can be empowering for people to know that by taking steps such as exercising for half an hour a day or keeping their blood pressure under control, they can reduce their risk of dementia,” Rist added.
However, the study’s limitation was that researchers could not determine how changes in factors such as quitting smoking affected the risk of dementia later in life.
