A combination of healthy lifestyle choices such as eating, exercising regularly, playing cards and socializing at least twice a week can help slow the rate of memory decline and reduce the risk of dementia, a decade-long study shows.
Memory is an essential function of daily life that steadily declines with age, impairing quality of life and productivity and increasing the risk of dementia.
Evidence from previous research has been insufficient to assess the effect of a healthy lifestyle on the trajectory of memory, but now a study suggests that combining multiple healthy lifestyle choices—the more, the better—is linked to mitigating the rate of memory decline.
“A combination of positive health behaviors is associated with a slower rate of memory decline in cognitively normal older adults,” researchers from the National Center for Neurological Diseases in Beijing, China, wrote in the BMJ.
Practicing multiple healthy lifestyle choices together “was associated with a lower likelihood of progression to mild cognitive impairment and dementia,” they added.
The researchers analyzed 29,000 adults over the age of 60 with normal cognitive function who were part of the Chinese Cognition and Aging Study.
At the start of the study in 2009, memory function was measured using tests and people were screened for the APOE gene, which is the strongest risk factor gene for Alzheimer’s disease. The subjects were then followed for 10 years with periodic assessments.
A healthy lifestyle score was calculated combining six factors: healthy diet; regular exercise; active social contact; cognitive activity; For non-smokers; and not to drink alcohol.
Based on their score, ranging from zero to six, participants were placed into lifestyle groups—favorable (four to six health factors), average (two to three health factors), or unfavorable (0 to 1 health factor)—and in APOE- carrier and non-carrier groups.
A healthy diet is considered to be eating at least seven of 12 food groups: fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, dairy products, salt, oil, eggs, grains, legumes, nuts and tea.
Writing, reading, playing cards or other games at least twice a week is the second area of healthy behavior.
Other areas include not drinking alcohol, exercising more than 150 minutes a week at moderate intensity or more than 75 at vigorous intensity, and never smoking or being an ex-smoker.
Socializing at least twice a week is the sixth healthy behavior, including activities such as visiting family and friends, going on dates or going to parties.
After accounting for factors likely to affect the results, the researchers found that each individual health behavior was associated with slower than average memory decline over 10 years.
A healthy diet has the strongest effect on slowing memory decline, followed by cognitive activity and then exercise.
People with the APOE gene who had generally had healthy lives also had a slower rate of memory decline than those with APOE who were least healthy.
Overall, people with four to six healthy behaviors or two to three were nearly 90 percent and nearly 30 percent less likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment, respectively, than those who were least healthy, the BMJ reports .
Dr Susan Mitchell, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is a well-conducted study which follows people over a long period of time and adds to the considerable evidence that a healthy lifestyle can help maintain memory and thinking skills as we age.
“Too few of us know that there are steps we can all take to reduce our chances of dementia in later life.”
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