7 good habits to reduce the risk of dementia
“Type 2 diabetes and lifestyle-related factors have been linked to dementia risk, but the impact of a healthy lifestyle on diabetes-correlated dementia remains largely unknown. We investigated whether a combination of good habits could compensate and limit the increased risk of dementia in diabetics”. This is what scientists from Shanghai Jiao-tong University in China wrote in a study published in the journal Neurology.
167,946 patients followed for 12 years
As part of this work, the researchers looked at data from a UK Biobank cohort. They identified 167,946 adults, aged 60 or over, with or without diabetes. At the start of the research, none of them suffered from dementia. During the 12-year follow-up, participants were asked to fill out questionnaires about their health, provide their body measurements and provide blood samples.
7 factors linked to a healthy lifestyle
For each volunteer, the authors calculated an overall lifestyle score ranging from zero to seven, with one point for each of the seven good habits. These habits included no smoking, moderate alcohol consumption (up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men), regular physical activity, and 7–9 hours of sleep. each night.
Other factors: a balanced and varied diet, being less sedentary (i.e. watching television less than four hours a day) and having frequent social contacts (i.e. living with other people, get together with friends or family at least once a month, and participate in social activities at least once a week or more often).
“A 54% lower risk of dementia”
According to the results, 4,351 adults developed dementia during the works. Patients with diabetes, who adopted two or fewer of the seven healthy habits, were four times more likely to suffer from dementia than people without diabetes who followed the seven healthy habits.
Among diabetic adults who adopted all the good habits, 21 cases of dementia, or 0.28%, were identified. “After adjusting for factors, such as age, education and background, people who followed all healthy habits had a 54% lower risk of dementia than participants who followed two or fewer habits.” , the scientists said in a statement.
“Healthcare professionals caring for people with diabetes should consider recommending lifestyle changes to their patients. Such changes may not only improve their overall health, but also help prevent or delay the onset of dementia. “, said Yingli Lu, author of the research.
