How can middle-aged and older adults prevent dementia?

When people reach the stage of middle and old age, all aspects of the body's functions will degenerate, and brain function will also decline, especially in short-term memory, concentration, rapid reaction ability, etc., many middle-aged and old friends will have a significant sense of decline, it is no wonder that many friends will lament: "old, the brain is not useful"

However, as we age, it is not all bad news for changes in brain power. For the aging changes in the brain, unlike other organs of the body, not all abilities will go downhill, there are relevant studies found that as we age, some cognitive abilities, not only will not decline, but will further rise, especially in the allocation of brain resources, the ability to focus the brain on important things, but the older stages than the younger stages, which is often referred to as "crystal intelligence". That is to say, in terms of catching the focus, the brain power of the elderly is rather more powerful than that of the young.

Therefore, for middle-aged and elderly people, in terms of brain power changes, must and should not be presumptuous middle-aged and elderly people tend to have stronger comprehensive analysis abilities and execution abilities, all these abilities make people appear more "wise" in the older stage.

Middle-aged and elderly people tend to have stronger comprehensive analytical and executive abilities, which make them appear wiser in their old age. Compared to worrying about the decline of brain power, some pathological changes in the brain deserve more attention, especially dementia, which affects the basic executive functions of the central nervous system due to pathological changes in the cerebral blood vessels or the brain, resulting in a serious decline of brain power in the elderly, and even the ability to take care of themselves is seriously affected, and the quality of life and life expectancy will be greatly reduced.

The pathogenesis of dementia is not fully understood so far, and the occurrence of dementia seems inevitable to many friends, but it is not. For middle-aged and elderly people, if they can combine their health conditions and actively do a good job in healthy living, they can help reduce the risk of dementia. In today's popular article, we will talk about how to prevent dementia in middle-aged and elderly people by combining two recent research articles published in the authoritative journal Neurology.

Study 1: 3 more activities to help reduce dementia risk

In the recently published study, nearly 500,000 participants were asked whether they had physical activity habits such as running up stairs, walking, biking, or doing housework, and how often they participated in vigorous exercise in their daily lives.

The survey also included whether they still attended school and how often they visited friends or family, how often they attended social events, etc. They were also asked about the extent to which they used electronics, such as playing computer games and watching TV, and smartphones.

The percentage of people involved in this type of dementia was analyzed through an 11-year follow-up survey, as well as the correlation between the frequency of physical, mental, and social activities mentioned above.

The results of the study found that people who were highly involved in the three types of activities mentioned above had a 35% lower risk of developing dementia compared to subgroups who were least engaged in the three types of activities mentioned above.

Simply doing housework regularly reduced the risk of dementia by 21% compared to people who were not very physically active, and groups who spent time with family, or visited friends every day, reducing the risk of dementia by 15%. But the study also found that people who socialized by drinking alcohol (such as frequenting bars) had an increased risk of dementia instead.

Researchers noted that physical activity, mental activity, and social activity, all forms of cognitive stimulation, are conducive to building cognitive reserve, which can play a role in preventing dementia to some extent. People who regularly participate in these activities also have more memory-protecting proteins and are more able to feel the importance of life, all of which are important for maintaining brain health.

Researchers also found that everyone can benefit from the protective effects of physical and mental activity, regardless of whether they have a family history of dementia.

Therefore, middle-aged and older people who want to reduce the risk of dementia, whether it's Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia, can pay more attention to doing the following 3 types of exercises

Physical activity: Physical activity is not limited to sports and exercise. Less sedentary and more active every day, doing housework, moving your body more, sitting and driving less, walking more, etc., can bring health benefits. If you can adhere to a fixed period of exercise every day, the benefits will be even more.

Brain activity: the brain, like the body, needs diligent exercise. For middle-aged and older people, if they can continue to learn new knowledge and skills as they age, and work their brains out regularly, their risk of developing dementia will be greatly reduced.

Social activities: As we get older, it is more important for older people to participate in more social activities. Whether it's with family, with friends, or in social groups, it's a great way to increase social activity. Social activities can provide a greater sense of accomplishment and social acceptance, which is important for protecting brain health and maintaining brain activity.

Study 2: Replacing ultra-processed foods with healthy ingredients can help reduce dementia risk

A systematic analysis of the relationship between ultra-processed food intake and dementia risk was conducted in a study of 72,083 participants. The participants, all of whom were older than 55 years old and did not have dementia at the time of participation in the study, were followed for a median of 10 years and found that not only are ultra-processed foods harmful to brain health but that eating less ultra-processed foods can improve cognition and reduce the risk of dementia.

Ultra-processed foods are often over-processed foods that are rich in additives, such as cookies, ice cream, potato chips, chocolate, mayonnaise, salad dressing, industrial bread, processed meat products such as sausage, soda, juice complexes, etc. These foods are usually high in fat, sugar, and salt, and very low in protein and dietary fiber.

This diet is usually delicious, but very unhealthy, which is not only reflected in its metabolic burden on the body, increasing weight, bringing the risk of cardiovascular disease and other aspects but also damage to brain health, increasing the risk of dementia.

The study's analysis showed that high consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with an increased risk of dementia. The group that ate the least amount of ultra-processed foods had a 14 percent increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and a 28 percent increased risk of vascular dementia compared to the group that ate the least amount of ultra-processed foods.

Study author Huiping Li, Ph.D., of the Institute of Nutritional Epidemiology at Tianjin Medical University in China, noted in a statement, "Our results also show that an increase of only 50 grams per day of unprocessed or minimally processed foods, which is equivalent to half an apple, a serving of corn or a bowl of bran cereal, while reducing ultra-processed foods by 50 grams per day is equivalent to a chocolate bar or a serving of fish sticks, is associated with A 3% reduction in the risk of dementia was associated." In another study, it was demonstrated that replacing 20 percent of ultra-processed foods in the diet with the same proportion of unprocessed or unprocessed ingredients was able to reduce the risk of dementia by 34 percent and the risk of vascular dementia by 39 percent.

Healthy ingredients that can replace ultra-processed foods are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Minimally processed or unprocessed foods have vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients that can be retained intact, and such ingredients are of course healthier foods. Fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, fresh unprocessed meats, seafood, spices, garlic, eggs, milk, etc., all belong to this category of foods, and if these ingredients are used in combination to replace the unhealthy ultra-processed foods in our daily lives, they can bring important benefits to middle-aged and elderly people in reducing the risk of dementia.

Although the above two studies are the results of big data analysis, there may be some individual cases or special cases for each individual, but the conclusion of such big data analysis is also very meaningful for most of us. This will bring benefits not only to brain health but also to the overall health of the body. We also welcome you to actively forward and share the information so that more people can see this kind of health science knowledge.