The 7 Simple Habits That Reduce the Risk of Dementia

Scientists have identified 7 healthy habits associated with lower rates of dementia in people with a genetic predisposition to the condition.

According to a study recently published in the Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, seven healthy habits and lifestyle factors may help reduce the risk of dementia in people with an increased genetic risk.

Dementia: The Life’s Simple 7, that reduce the risk

The American Heart Association's seven key factors for cardiovascular and brain health are known as Life’s Simple 7:

1. to be active
2. to eat healthier
3. to lose weight
4. Don't smoke
5. maintain a healthy blood pressure
6. to regulate cholesterol
7. to lower your blood sugar

“These healthy habits in Life’s Simple 7 have been linked to a lower overall risk of dementia, but it is unclear whether the same is true for people with a high genetic risk.”, said the study's author, Dr. Adrienne Tin, of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “The good news is that Even for people at the highest relative genetic risk, adopting this healthier lifestyle is likely to reduce the risk of dementia”.

In the study, 2,738 people of African descent and 8,823 people of European descent were followed for 30 years. At the start of the study, the average age of the participants was 54 years.

The levels of each of the 7 health factors were reported by the study participants themselves (in terms of the extent to which they adhered to them). The range of total scores was from 0 to 14, with 0 being the lowest score and 14 indicating the highest (healthiest) score. Individuals of European descent scored an average of 8.3, while those of African descent scored an average of 6.6.

The researchers calculated genetic risk scores at the start of the study, using extensive statistical data on the Alzheimer's disease genome.

Participants of European descent were divided into five groups, and those of African descent were divided into three groups based on their genetic risk scores. The group with the highest genetic risk included individuals who had at least one copy of the APOE gene variant (associated with Alzheimer’s disease), APOE e4. Among those of European descent, 27.9% had the APOE e4 variant, while among those of African descent, 40.4% had the APOE e4 variant. The group with the lowest risk carried the APOE e2 variant, which has been associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

By the end of the study, 1,603 people of European descent had developed dementia, and 631 people of African descent had developed dementia.

• For individuals of European descent, the researchers found that individuals with the highest scores on lifestyle factors had a lower risk of dementia across all five genetic risk groups, including the group with the highest genetic risk for dementia.
• For every one-point increase in the lifestyle factor score, there was a 9% lower risk of developing dementia.
• Among those of European descent, compared with the low category of the lifestyle factor score, the medium and high categories were associated with a 30% and 43% lower risk of dementia, respectively.
• Among those of African descent, the middle and high categories were associated with a 6% and 17% lower risk of dementia, respectively.
• Among individuals of African descent, the researchers found a similar pattern of reduced risk of dementia in all three groups among those with higher scores on lifestyle factors (however, the researchers noted that the smaller number of participants in this group limited the findings, so more research is needed).

«Larger sample sizes from different populations are needed, in order to obtain more reliable estimates of the effects of these modifiable health factors on the risk of dementia in different genetic risk groups,» said Dr. Tin.

One limitation of the study was the smaller sample size among people of African descent and the fact that many African American participants were recruited from a single location.