by According to a new study, the same changes in lifestyle were effective in reducing risk of heart disease such as movement, healthy nutrition and social engagement before dementia.
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University found that these daily habits can help reduce the growing stress on cognitive decline, which indicates that the loss of cognitive function is not an inevitable component of aging.
Almost 60 million suffer from dementia worldwide, and this number could more than double by 2050, according to studies.
Scientists say this despite the deaths of cardiovascular diseases that decrease in many parts of the world.
Earlier studies have shown that lifestyle risk factors such as physical inactivity, poor nutrition, obesity, alcohol consumption and conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, depression as well as social or intellectual isolation contribute to cognitive decline.
The new study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, found that the same therapeutic lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of heart disease, also help to reduce the cognitive decline.
“While the deaths of cardiovascular diseases have decreased since 2000, the deaths of Alzheimer’s disease have increased by more than 140 percent,” said the co-author of study, Charles Hennekens.
“At the same time, it is estimated that up to 45 percent of the risk of dementia can be attributed to changeable lifestyle and environmental factors,” said Dr. Hennekens.
In the study, scientists carried out the first clinical study of this kind based in the USA to test whether intensive changes in lifestyle can improve cognitive results in older adults with a high risk of decline.
The participants, who were assigned to a structured, team-based lifestyle intervention, showed statistically significant and clinically sensible improvements in global cognition over two years, said researcher.
The researchers found that the executive functions such as memory, attention, planning and decision -making affects profits among the participants.
The participants followed regular physical activity together with Mediterranean diets and DASH diets, cognitive stimulation and social engagement.
The results show that the lifestyle that previously reduces heart diseases and cancer and also has the transformative potential for the health of the brain.
Scientists suspect that physical activity contributes by increasing the neurotrophic factor from brain, which supports hippocampus growth, at the same time reduces blood flow and reduces inflammation.
On the other hand, the addition of physical activity through a Mediterranean and Dash diet can reduce oxidative stress and improve insulin sensitivity as well as the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
“The effects on clinical practice, public health and government policy are potentially enormous,” said Parvathi Perumareddi, another author of the study.
“Clinicers now have powerful, evidence-based instruments to help their patients prevent cognitive decline or slowed down instruments that go beyond medication, generally risky and inexpensive,” said Dr. Perumareddi.
Scientists ask everyone to invest in lifestyle-based strategies to protect brain health.
“This will not only benefit the endangered persons, but also as a powerful instrument for reducing national and global health loads in connection with the cognitive decline,” said Dr. Perumareddi.
