Posted by: Emily Stern, Mailonline Health Reporter
Updated January 23, 2024 12:37, January 23, 2024 14:04
- A 1 point increase in lifestyle score was associated with an 18% reduction in perceived risk
- One of the changes was socializing three times a month and quitting smoking.
Research suggests that adopting six healthy lifestyle habits may reduce your risk of developing dementia.
And Chinese scientists have found that just 10 minutes of exercise each day (almost half the recommended amount) can have benefits.
Hundreds of participants recorded scores from 0 to 6 based on a variety of factors to determine how healthy their lives were.
For example, if you perform a “healthy” level of exercise, you will receive 1 point.
Volunteers who didn't sweat for at least 10 minutes a day, three or four days a week, got nothing.
Other lifestyle factors are related to alcohol consumption, smoking status, and sleep quality. Her other two factors were social interaction and having hobbies.
All 2,537 volunteers who did not have dementia at the start of the study were followed for two years.
The analysis found that participants who received a total score of 4 or more were 29 percent less likely to show signs of cognitive decline by the end of the study compared to participants who received a score of 3 or less. It was shown.
And each point increase in the total score was associated with an 18 percent lower risk of cognitive decline, researchers at the People's Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing said.
The effect was even more pronounced in participants who had suffered from cardiometabolic diseases such as strokes or heart attacks. Leading an inactive lifestyle (defined as a score of 3 or less) was associated with a threefold increased risk of early cognitive decline.
The researchers said that approximately 29.98% of cases of early cognitive decline “would not have occurred if all older adults with cardiometabolic disease had followed an active lifestyle.”
Participants were aged 60 and older and were asked about their daily exercise habits and medical history.
The physical examination also measured height, weight, and blood pressure, and blood samples were also taken to assess blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
The volunteers were then surveyed for six lifestyle factors associated with dementia and monitored for diagnosis of the disease.
In this study, one point was awarded to volunteers who met each of the following categories:
- Exercise: Being active for at least 10 minutes “almost every day” or “3-4 days a week.”
- Smoking status: Never smoked or quit smoking.
- Alcohol intake: I hardly drink every month.
- Social Contact: Get together for social activities at least three times a month or with your neighbors at least three times a week.
- Leisure activities: read books or newspapers every day, use the Internet every day, or play cards at least twice a week.
- Sleep quality: Difficulty falling asleep or waking up.
But the study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, had its own flaws.
The scientists did not take into account the influence of other sleep factors, such as minimum sleep duration of less than 7 hours.
Around 900,000 people in the UK and 7 million people in the US have dementia. Dementia is used collectively to refer to several brain diseases that affect memory, thinking, and cognition.
Scientists aren't sure what causes it, but high levels of inflammation and protein buildup in the brain are thought to be linked to the disease.
In 2020, the Lancet Commission found that up to 40% of cases could be prevented or delayed by targeting 12 modifiable risk factors, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking. I concluded that it can be done.
Scientists hope that by increasing awareness about risk factors that change with age, people can take steps to reduce their chances of contracting the disease.
More and more people are undergoing genetic testing. However, increasing public awareness of lifestyle adjustments could reduce the number of infections by tens of thousands of cases per year.
Approximately 7.6 million Brits and 48 million Americans have cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a group of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels.
This is usually associated with the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of blood clots.
This number is expected to rise further due to aging and population growth and improved survival rates from heart and circulatory diseases.
However, health chiefs say cardiovascular disease is mainly preventable through a good lifestyle, including smoking cessation, eating a balanced diet, regular exercise and avoiding alcohol.
