'Direct association' Five lifestyle habits make the brain 'resilient' against dementia, says new study

Not smoking

Smoking has been shown to increase your risk of dementia. The latest research suggests avoiding the unhealthy habit can keep you sharp as you get older. Previous studies also suggest stopping smoking reduces your risk to the level of non-smokers.

According to the Alzheimer's Society (AS), smoking increases the risk of vascular problems (problems with the heart and blood vessels).

These vascular problems are also linked to the two most common forms of dementia: Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

Stay active

The researchers also found an association between vigorous exercise and a reduced risk of brain decline.

According to the NHS, a lack of regular physical activity can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, becoming overweight or obese, and type 2 diabetes, which are all linked to a higher risk of dementia.

The latest research suggests older adults who do not exercise are also more likely to have problems with memory or thinking (known as cognitive ability).

According to recommended guidelines, you should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking, cycling or dancing.

Cut down on alcohol

Moderate alcohol intake was also found to keep the brain in good shape.

Drinking alcohol is linked to reduced volume of the brain's white matter, which helps to transmit signals between different brain regions.

As the Alzheimer's Society explains, this can lead to issues with the way the brain functions.

To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks:

• Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis
• Spread your drinking over three or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week
• If you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each week

Stimulate the brain

Numerous studies have suggested that engaging in more mentally stimulating activities throughout life is associated with better cognitive function and the latest study is no exception.

It's thought to be linked to cognitive reserve - your brain's ability to improvise and find alternate ways of getting a job done.

"It reflects how agile your brain is in pulling in skills and capacities to solve problems and cope with challenges," explains Harvard Health.

It’s not clear which activities are most beneficial, but doing things you enjoy like reading, doing puzzles, or joining a singing group, or social club can help you to feel happier, stay mentally active and feel more positive in life.

Eat well to enhance your brain power

Researchers find the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) to be beneficial for the brain.

The MIND diet was designed to target the health of the ageing brain and specifically Dementia and Alzheimer's.

It contains foods rich in certain vitamins, carotenoids, and flavonoids that are believed to protect the brain by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

These include vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil, fish, beans, poultry, and wine.

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How the researchers arrive at their conclusions

For the study, published in the journal JAMA Neurology, autopsies were performed on 586 people living in retirement communities, senior housing and individual residences in the Chicago area who had participated in the Rush Memory and Aging Project between 1997 and 2022.

The participants, who lived to an average age of 91, underwent regular cognitive and physical testing and filled out annual questionnaires on their lifestyles for over two decades before they died.

People in the study were categorised as living a low-risk or healthy lifestyle if they scored top marks in five different categories: they did not smoke; they did moderate to vigorous exercise for at least 150 minutes a week; they kept their alcohol consumption to about one drink a day for women and two for men; and they regularly stimulated their brain by reading, visiting museums, and playing games like cards, checkers, crosswords or puzzles.

The fifth category measured how well they followed the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay or MIND diet.

The researchers found that a higher scoring, which indicated a healthier lifestyle, was linked to better cognitive function, regardless of whether the participants had brain pathologies like Alzheimer’s disease.

Higher lifestyle scores were also associated with lower levels of the beta-amyloid plaque, a protein that accumulates in the brain in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

More than 88 percent of a person’s global cognition score was a “direct association of lifestyle”, professors Yue Leng and Dr Kristine Yaffe wrote in an accompanying editorial, leaving slightly less than 12 percent affected by the presence of beta-amyloid.

Yaffe, who was not involved in the study, is a professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences.

Leng, who was also not involved in the study, is an associate professor of psychiatry at the same institution.

The observational nature of study makes it impossible to prove a direct cause and effect, the professors said.

However, they add, it represents “an important step” in understanding the ways people can influence their risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

Indeed, "the lifestyle changes provided the brain resilience against some of the most common causes of dementia”, added Dr Richard Isaacson, director of research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida, who was not involved in the study.