LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE — including regular movement, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and limiting alcohol — has been linked to better thinking skills in older adults, according to a new study. Today, I explore how you can unlock your mind’s future potential: 5 genius hacks for a smarter brain.
I frequently write about cognition and have a special interest in its loss. I sometimes wonder if I have an unreasonable concern about dementia.
The condition does not run in my family. I don’t seem to have an elevated risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s or other dementias.
Yet here I am again, writing about the brain.
This article – brain hacks
Are you concerned about your cognitive health as you age?
A new study shows that adopting a healthier lifestyle can boost your brainpower and help you maintain cognitive function even in old age.
In this article, I’ll share five genius hacks to unlock your mind’s potential and keep your brain sharp for years to come.
New study
Rush University Medical Center (Chicago) researchers regularly gathered information on people’s lifestyles and backgrounds, including details about the following:
- Diet
- Alcohol consumption
- Leisure activities (such as walking or gardening)
- Smoking
- Cognitive activities (such as card playing)
The subjects had annual cognitive testing.
The investigators later asked the participants about leisure activities like reading, playing cards, or visiting museums.
More study details
Once the participants passed away, the researchers took a closer look at their brains to understand any underlying issues, and the average age at that time was 91 years.
As mentioned earlier, the researchers looked at lifestyle variables, including:
- Exercise (moderate or vigorous for at least 150 minutes weekly)
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Activities such as card-playing or doing puzzles
- Diet (A healthy one would be a Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay approach.)
The new study analyzed data over time and considered postmortem brain pathology reports.
Results
Out of 586 individuals studied, 415 were female (71 percent), and 171 were male (29 percent), with an average age at death of 90.9 years.
The research found that having a healthier lifestyle was linked to better cognitive function close to the end of life.
In simpler terms, for every one-point increase in the lifestyle score (indicating a healthier lifestyle), there was a 0.216-point improvement in cognitive scores.
This association remained significant even when considering common brain pathologies related to dementia.
Other findings
When adjusting for factors like β-amyloid load, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, the positive link between a healthier lifestyle and better cognitive function persisted.
Individuals with a higher lifestyle score also tended to have lower β-amyloid load in the brain.
Approximately 12 percent of the connection between lifestyle and cognitive function was attributed to the effect of β-amyloid load in the brain.
β-amyloid is a protein that can build up in the brain and is often associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Think of it like sticky plaques that can accumulate between nerve cells, interfering with communication and potentially causing damage. These plaques are a hallmark characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Surprisingly, the link between leading a healthy lifestyle and having better cognitive function stayed strong, even in people who had signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains.
Summary
Here is the study’s takeaway message:
Among older adults, adopting a healthy lifestyle might create a cognitive reserve, helping to sustain cognitive abilities regardless of the typical brain problems associated with dementia.
The researchers stressed being careful when interpreting the results because of the study’s design.
My thoughts
The choices we make in our lifestyles could have a significant impact on our cognitive health as we get older.
The new study contributes evidence to the ongoing discussion about things we can change in our lives that might lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
We need more well-designed randomized clinical trials to create a wide path for dementia risk reduction in the precision medicine era.
Thank you for reading “Brain Hacks.”
