As people age, it is common for their memory to decline.
While this is a natural process, it can also be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Despite ongoing research, it remains unclear how lifestyle factors might affect memory decline in older age.
The Study – Linking Lifestyle and Memory Decline
Researchers conducted a decade-long study involving 29,000 older adults in China, investigating the impact of a healthy lifestyle on memory function.
The participants were at least 60 years old (average age 72; 49% women) with normal cognitive function at the beginning of the study.
The Method – Lifestyle Score and Memory Tests
The participants’ memory function was assessed using the Auditory Verbal Learning test (AVLT), and they were tested for the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, the strongest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers then calculated a healthy lifestyle score based on six factors: a healthy diet, regular exercise, active social contact, cognitive activity, non-smoking, and never drinking alcohol.
The Results – Healthy Lifestyle Slows Memory Decline
After accounting for various other factors, the researchers found that each individual healthy behavior was associated with a slower decline in memory over 10 years.
Among these behaviors, a healthy diet had the strongest effect, followed by cognitive activity and physical exercise.
Even among carriers of the APOE gene, a healthy lifestyle slowed memory loss.
The Caveats – Limitations and Further Research
This study was observational and therefore cannot establish cause. Some limitations include the potential for measurement errors due to self-reporting of lifestyle factors and the possibility of selection bias.
However, the study’s large size and long follow-up period allowed for a robust evaluation of lifestyle factors on memory function over time.
The Conclusion – Emphasizing a Healthy Lifestyle
The researchers suggest that their results provide strong evidence that a combination of positive behaviors in a healthy lifestyle can slow memory decline, even for those genetically predisposed to it.
However, they note that further research is needed to understand which behaviors are the most effective for dementia prevention and when in the life course to focus prevention efforts.
In the end, the study offers hope for the potential of a healthy lifestyle to protect against memory decline in older adults, highlighting the importance of public health initiatives promoting such behaviors.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and this diet may slow down brain aging by 7 years.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that cranberries could help boost memory, and many older people have this non-Alzheimer’s dementia.
The study was published in The BMJ.
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