Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are unwanted over the years. Until now we did not know if it could be avoided or, at least, reduce the chances of suffering from it. We thought it was something genetic, period. Luckily, a recent study encourages us a little more about this problem; It seems that there are some factors that can reduce the chances of developing it.
What is a healthy lifestyle?
In the study, the researchers looked at more than 1.700 participants (average age 64), looking at both their genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and their lifestyles. They assessed lifestyle by focusing on four factors: smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and diet.
Using these four healthy behaviors, the scientists scored their lifestyles and genetic risk. Lifestyle scores included whether a person smokes, their physical activity, alcohol consumption, and diet.
The group with the healthiest lifestyles did not smoke, engaged in regular physical activity, had moderate alcohol consumption, and ate a healthy diet.
The researchers classified an example of a "favorable" lifestyle such as not smoking, bicycling at a moderate pace for two and a half hours a week, eating a balanced diet (more than three servings of fruits and vegetables a day, fish twice a week, and little or no processed meats) , and not drink more than a pint of beer a day. On the other hand, a unfavorable lifestyle it included smoking regularly, not exercising, having a poor diet (fewer than three servings of fruits and vegetables per week, two or more servings of processed meats and red meat per week), and drinking three pints of beer per day.
How does lifestyle influence the possibility of having dementia?
The researchers followed up for about eight years. Over the course of the study, 0,8% of people with a healthy lifestyle developed dementia, while people living unhealthily and suffering from dementia were 1,2%, a pattern that held even when people with a higher genetic risk of dementia were taken into account.
In fact, of those who had a greater genetic predisposition, living a healthy lifestyle reduced their chances of dementia by 32%, compared to those who live an unhealthy lifestyle. In addition, participants with a high genetic risk and an unhealthy lifestyle had nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than those with a low genetic risk and a healthy lifestyle.
The research did not specifically look at why a healthy lifestyle may help prevent dementia, but it appears that a healthy lifestyle tends to improve various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk factors. Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and rich in heart-healthy fish is known to reduce the risk of dementia, possibly by helping to reduce inflammation.