A new study led by researchers from Capital Medical University and other institutions suggests that maintaining a healthy lifestyle—particularly a healthy diet—is associated with slower memory decline in older adults.
In the study, researchers aimed to identify an optimal combination of lifestyle factors that could help protect against memory loss later in life.
The research examined data from more than 29,000 older adults living in northern, southern, and western regions of China. All participants were aged 60 years or older and had normal cognitive function at the start of the study.
In 2009, participants underwent apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping before entering the study. They were then followed until death or until December 26, 2019, resulting in a follow-up period of up to 10 years.
The researchers assessed six key lifestyle factors:
- A healthy diet, defined as adherence to the recommended intake of at least 7 out of 12 eligible food items
- Regular physical exercise, defined as at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week
- Active social contact, occurring at least twice per week
- Active cognitive activity, also at least twice per week
- Never smoking or having quit smoking
- Never consuming alcohol
Participants were categorized into three groups based on the number of healthy lifestyle factors they followed. Those with four to six factors were placed in the favourable group, those with two to three factors in the average group, and those with zero to one factor in the unfavourable group.
Memory function was assessed throughout the study period. Over the 10-year follow-up, participants in the favourable lifestyle group showed significantly slower memory decline compared with those in the unfavourable group.
Among carriers of the APOE ε4 allele—a genetic variant known to increase the risk of cognitive decline—those with favourable lifestyles experienced slower memory decline than those with unfavourable lifestyles. Similar patterns were observed among participants who were not APOE ε4 carriers, with both the favourable and average groups showing slower memory decline than the unfavourable group.
Importantly, the researchers found no strong interaction between APOE ε4 status and lifestyle profile, suggesting that the benefits of a healthy lifestyle apply regardless of genetic risk.
Based on these findings, the research team concluded that a healthy lifestyle is associated with slower memory decline in older adults, even among those who carry the APOE ε4 allele.
The study provides valuable evidence that lifestyle choices may play a meaningful role in protecting cognitive health in later life, offering practical insights for strategies aimed at reducing memory decline in aging populations.
The study was conducted by Jianping Jia and colleagues and published in The BMJ.
