This Healthy Habit Can Help Boost Brain Health Later in Life

We often think ofdementiaas something that’s only a consideration among seniors. Think again, suggests a new 15,000-person study published in March in thejournalNeurology. Our habits in our 20s and 30s can play a huge role in our risk for greater cognitive declines later in life as we age.“These results are striking and suggest that early adulthood may be a critical time for the relationship between these health issues and late-life cognitive skills,” study authorKristine Yaffe, M.D., a cognitive aging and dementia researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, says in apress release.Doing everything possible to reducerisk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high blood sugar, of course reduces risk for heart disease. But Yaffe says that this research presents more evidence that healthy lifestyle habits can protect the brain over the lifespan as well.“It’s possible that treating or modifying these health issues in early adulthood could prevent or reduce problems with thinking skills in later life,” Yaffe says.These 13 Things Could Make You More Likely to Get Alzheimer’s, According to New StudyBy aggregating data from several studies that followed adults ages 18 to 95 for 10 to 30 years, the scientists were able to track cardiovascular disease risk factors including:Body mass index(aka BMI)Total cholesterolFastingblood sugarSystolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading, which measures the amount of force blood exerts on artery walls with each heartbeat)Body mass index(BMI) is a measure that’s often used in healthcare to determine a person’s body weight category such as overweight or obese, and therefore, chronic disease risk. However, it has limitations and does not account for individual factors that influence one’s health status, such as body composition, ethnicity, race, sex and age. This is why it shouldn’t be used as a comprehensive measure of someone’s health andcan be a source of body size stigma and bias.Yaffe and team then examined if high readings in any of these four areas in early adulthood, middle age or later life were seen in those who had more noticeable declines in memory and thinking ability late in life. Controlling for other factors like age and education level, they found that three of the four risk factors—having obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar (not high total cholesterol)—were associated with greater declines in late-life cognition.The link was strongest when these risk factors popped up in early adulthood, such as the 20s and 30s. Cognitive decline was 80% to 100% greater for young adults who hadhigh blood pressure, high blood sugar or were categorized as having obesity, compared to those who had “normal” blood pressure, blood sugar and weight.“With more young people developing diabetes and obesity in early adulthood, along with higher levels of underdiagnosed and undertreated cardiovascular problems, this could have significant public health implications for cognitive health in late life,” Yaffe says.Note that this data doesn’t prove cause and effect, just that there was an association. Still, this can inspire future research about a potential connection between dementia and a healthy lifestyle early in life. And there’s zero reasonnotto implement healthy habits now, whether you’re 20, 50 or 80—for your brain and your body as a whole. TheDASH Dietand otherMediterranean-style eating patternshave been proven to promote a healthy heart and mind, andracking up enough physical activitycan also move the needle.Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit

“These results are striking and suggest that early adulthood may be a critical time for the relationship between these health issues and late-life cognitive skills,” study authorKristine Yaffe, M.D., a cognitive aging and dementia researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, says in apress release.

Doing everything possible to reducerisk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high blood sugar, of course reduces risk for heart disease. But Yaffe says that this research presents more evidence that healthy lifestyle habits can protect the brain over the lifespan as well.

“It’s possible that treating or modifying these health issues in early adulthood could prevent or reduce problems with thinking skills in later life,” Yaffe says.

These 13 Things Could Make You More Likely to Get Alzheimer’s, According to New Study

By aggregating data from several studies that followed adults ages 18 to 95 for 10 to 30 years, the scientists were able to track cardiovascular disease risk factors including:

Body mass index(BMI) is a measure that’s often used in healthcare to determine a person’s body weight category such as overweight or obese, and therefore, chronic disease risk. However, it has limitations and does not account for individual factors that influence one’s health status, such as body composition, ethnicity, race, sex and age. This is why it shouldn’t be used as a comprehensive measure of someone’s health andcan be a source of body size stigma and bias.

Yaffe and team then examined if high readings in any of these four areas in early adulthood, middle age or later life were seen in those who had more noticeable declines in memory and thinking ability late in life. Controlling for other factors like age and education level, they found that three of the four risk factors—having obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar (not high total cholesterol)—were associated with greater declines in late-life cognition.

The link was strongest when these risk factors popped up in early adulthood, such as the 20s and 30s. Cognitive decline was 80% to 100% greater for young adults who hadhigh blood pressure, high blood sugar or were categorized as having obesity, compared to those who had “normal” blood pressure, blood sugar and weight.

“With more young people developing diabetes and obesity in early adulthood, along with higher levels of underdiagnosed and undertreated cardiovascular problems, this could have significant public health implications for cognitive health in late life,” Yaffe says.

Note that this data doesn’t prove cause and effect, just that there was an association. Still, this can inspire future research about a potential connection between dementia and a healthy lifestyle early in life. And there’s zero reasonnotto implement healthy habits now, whether you’re 20, 50 or 80—for your brain and your body as a whole. TheDASH Dietand otherMediterranean-style eating patternshave been proven to promote a healthy heart and mind, andracking up enough physical activitycan also move the needle.

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