A 10-year study of Chinese adults over the age of 60 showed that a healthy lifestyle, especially a nutritious diet, was associated with slower memory decline in older adults. rice field.
A major new study published in The BMJ showed that the benefits of healthy living can also be seen in people who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease.
Carriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, the strongest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, were found to have a slower rate of memory loss associated with healthy habits such as abstaining from alcohol. I was.
A team of Chinese researchers said memory continues to decline as we age, but evidence from existing studies is insufficient to assess the impact of a healthy lifestyle on memory later in life. is.
They explained that memory loss can have many causes, so a combination of healthy behaviors may be required for the best effect.
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Researchers analyzed data from 29,000 adults aged 60 and over with normal cognitive function. The average age of this group was her 72, and almost half were female.
At the start of the study in 2009, memory function was measured using the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), and participants were tested for the APOE gene. 20% turned out to be carriers. Follow-up evaluations were then conducted in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019.
A healthy lifestyle score was then calculated that combined six factors: diet, regular exercise, active social contact, cognitive activity (such as reading and writing), smoking cessation, and no drinking.
Based on a score from 0 to 6, participants were classified into favorable (4 to 6 health factors), average (2 or 3), or unfavorable (1 or 0) lifestyle groups and were classified as APOE carriers and Divided into non-carriers. group.
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After considering other health, economic, and social factors, researchers found that individual healthy behavior was associated with slower memory decline than the 10-year average.
“Healthy diet had the strongest effect on slowing memory decline, followed by cognitive activity and exercise,” said the study’s first author, Professor Jianping Jia.
“Based on standardized AVLT scores, memory decline in the good lifestyle group was 0.28 points slower over 10 years compared to the poor lifestyle group, and memory decline was 0.16 points slower in the average lifestyle group. rice field.
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Participants with the APOE gene and an average lifestyle experienced slower memory decline than those with an unfavorable lifestyle.
“Furthermore, people with favorable and average lifestyles were almost 90% less likely to develop dementia and mild cognitive impairment compared with those with unfavorable lifestyles, and almost 30% less likely, even in the APOE group. We had similar results.”
He said that while the study was observational and could not identify causation, it was a large study with a long follow-up period that could assess individual lifestyle factors on memory function over time. can.
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The researchers found that even in people genetically susceptible to memory loss, sticking to a healthy lifestyle combined with positive behaviors slowed the rate of memory loss. It said it provided “strong evidence” that it was associated with
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