Healthy habits in midlife may help delay onset of cognitive decline
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LAS VEGAS — To slow or stave off symptoms relating to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, individuals should make healthy habits a priority early in life, according to a presenter at BRAINWeek 2022.
“How can we forestall the effects of Alzheimer’s disease?” Gary Small, MD, chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center, asked during his presentation. “This is something that is affecting all of us — our own aging and memory concerns and also those of relatives and friends.”
Small used the example of Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 in France at the age of 122, as well as the discovery of “blue zones” in Italy, Costa Rica and Japan — regions with a higher rate of older adults living beyond their 80s and 90s — to address the question of how to age well with as much cognitive faculties as possible.
It begins, Small, said with nongenetic factors, which include healthy behaviors with respect to exercise, diet, mental activities and social interactions. Older adults who have “done their living” and are more motivated to make better, healthier choices are in turn likely to have fewer memory concerns and better cognitive function.
Increased attention to and reliance on technology, Small reasoned, doesn’t necessarily lead to poorer memory and decreased cognitive abilities. Although there is a clear generational divide with the use of digital devices such as iPads, Small cited several online games that can train a 70-year-old mind to perform like a 20-year-old’s with repetition over a period of several weeks.
Strategic interventions relating to learning, visualization and memory, as well as simultaneous and sequential exercises combined with physical movement such as stationary cycling, lead to improvements in visual memory and executive function, Small stated.
In addition, getting better sleep, making social connections and performing focused exercise such as tai chi can boost immune response and cognitive strength. However, according to Small, a variety of stress mitigation techniques are especially crucial, as increased stress levels lead to a twofold greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Weight and BMI also have negative correlations with memory development, Small said. Healthy eating habits are likely to boost one’s attitude and self-perception, which in turn can provide motivation to continue making better health decisions.
“If you know broccoli is a better side dish than French fries, you’re more inclined to choose broccoli,” Small said.
Timing for these changes, he continued, is key. An individual should begin during the period of midlife when the normal course of aging begins to give way to mild cognitive impairment. To help guide patients to make positive lifestyle changes, physicians should focus on education, creating fun and easy programs to follow, and emphasizing results to encourage healthy behaviors.
“Brain healthy habits can improve our quality of life right now and possibly stave off future symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s,” Small said.