Alzheimer's: 6 habits that help preserve memory for longer, even when there is a genetic risk

Memory, reasoning and psychomotor speed are some of the cognitive functions that are affected by aging.

But not in all people this decline occurs at the same time, in the same way, or even to the same extent.

As we live longer and longer, scientists around the world are working to identify modifiable factors that play a potential protective role and are associated with favorable cognitive aging trajectories.

Within this framework is a study recently published in

(BMJ), which found that a healthy lifestyle, particularly a good diet, is associated with slower memory decline, even in those who have the gene. of apolipoprotein E (APOE),

for Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias.

The prevalence of neurogenerative diseases increases as life expectancy increases.

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Delay memory loss

The aim of the authors of the paper was to try to identify an

 that protects against memory loss in older people.

To do this, they analyzed data from more than 29,000 adults over the age of 60 with normal cognitive function who were part of the

and who underwent APOE genotyping at baseline in 2009 (the gene was found in one in five participants).

During the decade of follow-up,

were evaluated :

✓a healthy diet (in which at least 7 of 12 eligible foods were tested for compliance with the recommended intake),

✓Regular physical exercise (at least 150 minutes of intense or moderate activity a week, or at least 75 of vigorous intensity),

✓active social contact (at least twice a week),

✓active cognitive activity (at least twice a week),

✓no smoking,

✓do not drink alcohol.

Participants were classified in the

if they met four to six factors,

if they adhered to two or three factors, and in the

those who identified one or none.

They were also divided between APOE carriers and non-carriers.

After accounting for a variety of other health, economic, and social factors, the researchers found that each individual healthy behavior was associated with slower

-than-average

Physical exercise is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.

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Healthy diet, the most important factor

A healthy diet had the strongest effect in slowing memory decline, followed by cognitive activity and then physical exercise.

Compared with the group having unfavorable lifestyles, memory decline in the favorable lifestyle group was 0.28 points slower over 10 years, and the decline in the average lifestyle group was 0. 16 points slower.

Participants with the APOE gene with favorable and average lifestyles also experienced slower memory decline.

Furthermore, those with favorable or average lifestyles were less likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment (nearly 90% and 30% less, respectively) relative to those with an unfavorable lifestyle.

Similar results were observed in the APOE group.

The researchers clarified that since it is an observational study,

.

In addition, they acknowledged some limitations, such as the possibility of measurement errors because the lifestyle factors were self-reported by the participants and that some of them dropped out of the study before its completion.

However, they noted that this is a large study with a long follow-up period, which allowed assessment of individual lifestyle factors on memory function over time.

As a result, the team led by Jianping Jia, from the National Center for Neurological Disorders, in Beijing, China, concluded that their results provide "strong evidence that adherence to a healthy lifestyle

a combination of positive behaviors is associated with a slower rate of memory decline, even for people who are genetically susceptible."

"These results could offer important information for public health initiatives to protect older adults against memory decline," they concluded.

Meanwhile, in a linked editorial article, Séverine Sabia and Archana Singh-Manoux, researchers at Inserm (France) and at University College London (England), unleashed that "prevention is important, given the absence of effective

for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

However, they noted that definitions of healthy lifestyle vary in different studies.

And with more and more evidence emerging about the association of sleep duration with cognitive outcomes, "it's not clear if this variable should also be included."

In addition, they noted, the

(AHA) developed an ideal cardiovascular health score, combining seven biological and lifestyle factors, which is also associated with a lower risk of dementia.

And they stressed that a similar approach should be taken that led to a substantial reduction in cardiovascular disease with dementia prevention, "identifying not only the factors that matter most, but also the threshold at which they matter and the age at which

is intervention is likely to be more effective.

"This public health priority is

," they concluded.

***

Do you want to continue reading about healthy aging and prevention of cognitive decline?

These notes may interest you:

➪How to age successfully: a study reveals keys to achieving it

➪Alzheimer's and dementia: how they differ and what the treatments aim at, in 8 questions to an expert

➪Why memory is lost and how it changes over time

➪5 tips to live longer and better: "We can be the architects of our aging", says an expert in geriatrics

➪Alzheimer: what changes help prevent it and add years with quality of life

➪Adult brain: what is neurogenesis and why physical exercise is key

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