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A new study from the USA has examined how you can protect yourself against Alzheimer’s if you already have dementia.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. Around 1.2 million people in Germany suffer from the neurodegenerative disease, which leads to the death of nerve cells and protein deposits in the brain. This gradually leads to problems with memory, orientation and thinking skills.
Certain risk factors such as age, genes and an unhealthy lifestyle can increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s. If you want to prevent Alzheimer’s dementia, you should, for example, pay attention to a balanced diet and enough exercise. But what if the disease is already there – does a healthy lifestyle still protect you? A study provides interesting results on this question.
Alzheimer’s: US study with insightful findings
The first signs of Alzheimer’s disease can include protein deposits in the brain. Scientists at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago (USA) investigated the question of how a healthy lifestyle affects patients who are already ill. The “Rush Memory and Aging Project”, which has been running since 1997, served as the basis for this. In total, data from 586 people who had been part of the long-term project and who donated their brains for research purposes after death were analyzed.
Over a period of up to 24 years, study participants regularly provided information about their lifestyle, including their eating and exercise habits. In addition, the participants, who lived to an average age of 91, underwent regular cognitive and physical tests.
Alzheimer’s study examines the effect of lifestyle on the progression of the disease
The researchers use five different categories to evaluate the study results. One point was given for each of the following aspects:
- The study participants did not smoke.
- Study participants did at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week.
- The study participants did not drink more than one glass of alcohol per day (women) or two glasses (men).
- The study participants regularly engaged in activities such as reading, playing cards, crossword puzzles or puzzles to stimulate their brains.
- The study participants followed a Mediterranean diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds, nuts, olive oil and fish.
The more points the study participants achieved, the healthier their lifestyle was rated.
Alzheimer’s study: Better cognition thanks to a healthy lifestyle
During an autopsy, the scientists then examined the brains of the deceased subjects. Specifically, the search was for proteins that trigger Alzheimer’s, such as beta-amyloid or tau. They also looked for signs of vascular brain damage and injuries to the small blood vessels in the brain. The latter arise, for example, from high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. The researchers also measured markers for three other brain diseases: drug-resistant epilepsy, frontotemperal dementia and Lewy body dementia.
The results were published in the specialist journal JAMA Neurology. When comparing the autopsy results with the study participants’ information about their lifestyle, the scientists came to the following conclusion: The healthier the lifestyle, the higher the cognitive performance. At the same time, a better lifestyle was associated with lower levels of beta-amyloid in the brain.
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A healthy lifestyle also helps with existing Alzheimer’s disease
What is particularly interesting is that the strong connection between lifestyle and cognition remained when protein deposits were already detected in the brain. According to study author Dr. Klodian Dhana, a resident in geriatrics and palliative care at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, suggests that “a healthy lifestyle may also provide cognitive benefits for people whose brains are already developing dementia-related diseases.”
The researchers therefore concluded that “a healthy lifestyle can provide older adults with a cognitive reserve to maintain cognitive abilities independent of the usual pathological changes in the brain in dementia.”
Dr. Richard Isaacson, research director at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida, explained CNN, that it “doesn’t seem to matter” whether Alzheimer’s disease already exists or not. “The lifestyle changes gave the brain resistance to some of the most common causes of dementia,” said the scientist, who was not involved in the study.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.