Healthy Lifestyle May Support Better Brain Function—Even with Brain Changes Suggestive of Dementia
T
he Rush Memory and Aging Project gathered information on lifestyle and cognitive function for up to 24 years in a cohort of individuals and then collected autopsy data. In a recent analysis of data from 586 individuals a “healthy lifestyle score” was computed based on self-reported smoking, physical activity levels, alcohol consumption, adherence to a healthy dietary pattern (the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay—or MIND—diet), and late-life cognitive activity. The researchers then compared these scores to results of a battery of standardized cognitive tests and brain pathologies seen on autopsy.
A higher lifestyle score was associated with better cognitive functioning, even in those whose brains showed postmortem signs of dementia (including the beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease).
The authors concluded that a healthy lifestyle may provide a cognitive reserve that protects against loss of function due to common brain changes.
The Rush Memory and Aging Project gathered information on lifestyle and cognitive function for up to 24 years in a cohort of individuals and then collected autopsy data. In a recent analysis of data from 586 individuals a “healthy lifestyle score” was computed based on self-reported smoking, physical activity levels, alcohol consumption, adherence to a healthy dietary pattern (the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay—or MIND—diet), and late-life cognitive activity. The researchers then compared these scores to results of a battery of standardized cognitive tests and brain pathologies seen on autopsy.
A higher lifestyle score was associated with better cognitive functioning, even in those whose brains showed postmortem signs of dementia (including the beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease).
The authors concluded that a healthy lifestyle may provide a cognitive reserve that protects against loss of function due to common brain changes.
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