Adopting healthy lifestyle habits can slow the decline in memory that accompanies aging, including in individuals who carry a gene that drastically increases the risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, shows a new study in which a researcher from McGill University.
Healthy eating is the lifestyle habit that has had the greatest impact on memory preservation. This was followed, in order, by participation in active cognitive activities, regular physical activity, an active social life, not smoking, and never having consumed alcohol. In addition, said Dr. Serge Gauthier, the beneficial effect of these good habits is cumulative: instead of focusing on just one (and completely upsetting, for example, one’s diet), it is better to make improvements modest to four of them. “The combination of factors is more important than just one factor, so there’s no point doing gymnastics and doing nothing else,” he said. It takes four out of six factors to have the maximum protection. »
This study is being published at a time when reducing alcohol consumption is making headlines in Canada and when reducing smoking is already an “acquisition”, continued Dr. Gauthier. “You just need to maybe have a little bit more action on some of the other protective factors,” he added. The results stem from the study, for ten years, of nearly 30,000 inhabitants of northern, southern and western China. The participants were all aged 60 and over and had normal cognitive health at the start of the survey. The data showed that memory decline was less pronounced in subjects with a “favorable” or even “average” lifestyle, compared to those with an “unfavorable” lifestyle. During the 10-year follow-up, the researchers write, a supportive lifestyle was also associated with a lower risk of progression to mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
Even more interestingly, the researchers found a protective effect even in subjects who were carriers of the APOE4 gene, which is known to very markedly increase the risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The gene, which is found in regarding 40% of Alzheimer’s patients, may in particular intensify the impact of other risk factors. This study therefore underlines once once more, said Dr. Gauthier, that genetics, even if it remains very important, does not decide everything, which is “very reassuring for people who have a family history”. “The good news is that we can do something simple, he recalled. It’s not chemical and it’s not expensive, it’s just taking into account protective factors. Psychologically, North Americans would rather take a pill than exercise, but there isn’t a pill. And then, as we have just demonstrated, the simplest solutions are the best. »
Especially since adopting good lifestyle habits will not only benefit the brain, but also cardiovascular health, he added. The added value of the social interaction that can be added to these healthy lifestyle habits should not be overlooked either. “Social interaction is as important as activity,” said Dr. Gauthier. A book club is better than reading alone. Going for a walk with neighbors is better than walking alone. Cooking with a community group is better than cooking alone, even if it’s the same food. The researchers do not fully understand the mechanisms responsible for the observed protective effect, but a reduction in cerebrovascular risk, an increase in cognitive reserves and a decline in oxidative stress and inflammation might be responsible.
The findings of this study were published by the prestigious medical journal BMJ.
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