Add Buffers Around Your Memory By Managing Dementia Risk Factors
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Managing dementia-related risk factors may help keep your brain “younger” and prevent or at least delay the onset of memory loss later in life.
Cognitive changes can sneak up on you in two ways. There are the normal, age-related changes that leave a familiar name just on the tip of your tongue or keep you from answering first in a game of trivia. Then there are the more troubling changes that we tend to associate with cognitive decline and early glimpses of dementia.
While there isn’t much you can do about the first set of changes, there is considerable research that suggests you may be able to at least delay the onset of significant memory loss and other changes in thinking skills with some consistent risk factor management.
Massachusetts General Hospital psychiatrist Olivia Okereke, MD, suggests that the main age-related change people experience is a slowdown of processing speed. “It’s how quickly you can react or think of things on the spot,” she says. “The recall is there. The information is there. You’re just not as lightning fast as you once were.”
But with age also comes the progressively increasing risk of developing dementia or mild cognitive impairment. “There are risk factors that can affect those changes, and they are what you’re looking to mitigate,” Dr. Okereke says.
Heart-Brain Connection
There’s a commonly used expression—“heart health is brain health”—that sums up an important concept in preserving brain function. “The kinds of risk factors that impact cardiovascular health are also associated with cognitive decline,” says Dr. Okereke.
A study published recently in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia suggests that the more effectively you can manage certain cardiovascular risk factors and other health issues, the more likely it is you can lower your risk of dementia and preserve vibrant brain function. The risk factors highlighted in the study include:
• High blood pressure
• Low education
• Hearing loss
• Traumatic brain injury
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Depression
Researchers found that individuals in their 40s to 70s with none of those risk factors showed similar cognitive performance on tests of memory and thinking skills to people 10 or 20 years younger with several risk factors.
Not surprisingly, just as many of the same risk factors for dementia are the same as for heart disease and stroke, many of the same healthy behaviors can benefit hearts and minds. In addition to managing blood pressure and blood glucose levels and quitting smoking, lifestyle choices such as daily exercise and maintaining a healthy weight will support both heart and brain health.
Dr. Okereke notes that one of the challenges for researchers is determining at what age making a particular healthy lifestyle choice has the biggest impact.
Build a Buffer
Though there may not be definitive answers to questions about when healthy lifestyle changes offer the greatest protection for brain function, Dr. Okereke says common sense probably provides the best advice.
“The message we tend to share is that earlier is better when it comes to managing your risk,” she says. “You’re increasing that buffer of protection. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t matter if you start making these changes after age 65. People are living longer, and there are gains to be had at any age.”
In other words, it’s never too late to reap the rewards of getting your blood glucose under control and keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range. And as for concerns such as hearing loss and depression, addressing them sooner than later not only can help you avoid complications such as isolation, but can also provide substantial boosts to your quality of life.
Dr. Okereke also explains that because age is the number one risk factor for cognitive decline, it’s helpful to maintain some perspective about how much of your risk you can manage. If someone in their late 80s develops dementia, it may be simply because of the person’s age. Even living the healthiest life possible can’t undo the effects of age or the impact of genetics. Alzheimer’s disease and certain other types of dementia can run in families.
But it’s worth considering that had that individual not lived a healthy life, the onset of dementia could very well have occurred at a much younger age. “The more modifiable risk factors we can move into the ‘win column’ of a healthy profile, the more layers of protection you’re providing yourself,” Dr. Okereke says, noting that there are no 100-percent protections against dementia. “When you manage these risk factors, without the promise of a guarantee, you’ll at least be less likely to be exposed to the risk of dementia at an earlier age.”
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