Healthy living preserves mental acuity, according to studies
A healthy lifestyle, in particular a healthy diet, is associated with slower memory decline, according to a decade-long study. Even for carriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene - the strongest known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias - a healthy lifestyle was found to slow memory loss. Memory continuously declines as people age, but evidence from previous studies has been insufficient to assess the effect of a healthy lifestyle on memory in later life.
Chinese researchers analysed data from 29,000 adults aged at least 60 years (average age 72; 49 per cent women) with normal cognitive function who were part of the China Cognition and Aging Study.
Wholesome way of living
Then, a score for a healthy lifestyle was determined by adding up six factors: eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, engaging in social activities like seeing friends and family, engaging in cognitive activities like writing, reading, and mahjong, not smoking, and never consuming alcohol. Participants were divided into three lifestyle groups: favourable (4 to 6 healthy factors), average (2 to 3 healthy factors), and unfavourable (0 to 1 healthy factors) based on their score, which ranged from 0 to 6. They were also divided into APOE carrier and non-carrier groups.
Once the researchers took into consideration many other physical, economic, and social factors, they discovered that every single healthy behavior was linked to a slower-than-average deterioration in memory over a period of ten years.
Decreased chance of dementia
Dementia and mild cognitive impairment were also less common in people with ordinary or favorable lifestyles. Because this is an observational study, it is unable to determine a cause. The researchers are aware of several limitations, including the risk of measurement errors resulting from self-reporting lifestyle characteristics and selection bias because some individuals did not return for follow-up assessments. Even among those who are genetically predisposed to memory loss, the researchers' findings offer compelling evidence that maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a mix of constructive behaviors is linked to a slower rate of memory deterioration.
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