In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat This Brain Health Study Found15 Ways Reduce Your Risk For Cognitive DeclineThe Bottom Line
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What This Brain Health Study Found
15 Ways Reduce Your Risk For Cognitive Decline
The Bottom Line
As much as you might have zero use for your ability to still recall your childhood landline phone number, or could really do without your ability to karaoke to every word of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” on cue—no screen lyrics required—a sharp memory is nothing to take for granted.
A 2022 published in the journalJAMA Neurologyoffers a stark reminder why: 1 in 10 Americans over age 65 is living with dementia, and another 22% of seniors experience mild cognitive impairment, which is one of the initial signs that more serious cognition challenges might be on the way.
Ahead, learn more about how they came to this conclusion, then study up on healthy habits you can work into your routine today to possibly reduce your risk.
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Overall, they found that one in three American adults over age 65 had signs of either dementia or cognitive decline.
They compared the cognition results with data about age, race, education level and more to see if they could spot any commonalities or general trends among those with decreased cognition. People who had less than a high school education were more likely to have dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Additionally, the older the individual, the higher their risk for both conditions. (About 3% of those aged 65 to 69 tested positive for dementia, while 35% of those 90 did.) The scientists noticed no significant difference in risk levels based on gender.
These findings paint a fairly pessimistic picture about Americans' collective brain health, true. There’s also another very important wrinkle that we can’t overlook: Genetics. A family history certainly impacts our brain health—and overall chronic disease risk—over the lifespan, butour daily habits play a big part, too.
The good news is that not all individuals with mild cognitive impairment (the 22% in this study) necessarily develop dementia. A 2022 study published in the journalNeurology, for example, reported that about one in three women over age 75 who had signs of mild cognitive impairment were able to reverse their condition so they were no longer trending toward dementia.
Since we can’t change our genetics and since researchers are still searching for a cure for dementia, neurologists often recommend focusing on “modifiable risk factors,” or keeping tabs on lifestyle habits that have been scientifically-proven to be related to cognition.
With that in mind, we dove into the Alzheimer’s Association’srisk reductionandpreventionguides, as well as other research we’ve covered here onEatingWell, and have your hot 15 list of brain-boosting tips.
Cognitive decline is surprisingly common among American adults age 65 and up. About one in every 10 older adults has been diagnosed with dementia, and nearly one in four is experiencing mild cognitive impairment.
Since there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, it’s important to focus on modifiable risk factors to keep your keen intellect, memory and attention for as much of your lifespan as possible.
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