How To Slow Down Cognitive Decline, Starting In Midlife

Though not all of our dementia risk is within our control, a standing commission from The Lancet has found that up to 45% of our likelihood of developing the condition is down to “potentially modifiable” lifestyle choices.

These include more obvious habits, like not smoking and controlling blood pressure. But some less expected variables – such as protecting your hearing and staying socially connected – matter too.

According to a new paper published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, meanwhile, two habits in midlife might significantly lower your odds of cognitive decline (sometimes seen as a precursor to dementia) in older age.

In this research, scientists assessed the heart health of 402 middle-aged and older adults using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 measurements.

These include eating habits, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

Sleep has since been added to this list, now called Life’s Essential 8. But because this wasn’t included when the study began, researchers didn’t measure it in this study.

Study after study has found an association between brain and heart health. So, the researchers wanted to look at how each component of the Simple 7 list corresponded to cognitive decline risk.

After years of follow-up, physical activity and blood sugar levels seemed to have the strongest influence on participants’ rates of cognitive decline.

Hispanic adults in this US-based study saw greater benefits from higher levels of physical activity, while white non-Hispanic adults seemed to reap greater rewards from well-controlled blood sugar.

Hispanic adults are at greater risk of dementia in the US.

Dr Janette Vazquez, the study’s lead author, said: “Our findings suggest that engaging in any level of physical activity and potentially maintaining optimal fasting blood glucose levels in midlife are associated with a significantly slower rate of cognitive decline in late life”.

But she added that more research is needed: “The longitudinal exploration of cardiovascular health throughout life, rather than assessing it at a single time point, could also provide further insight into the trajectory phenotypes contributing to cognitive decline by ethnicity”.