More Healthy Habits, Less Risk Of Alzheimer's

More healthy habits, less risk of Alzheimer's

Scientists evaluated the influence of five lifestyle factors on the risk of this pathology.

Photo: Keren Perez / Unsplash

The more healthy habits a person has, the lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a new study published in Neurology has shown. Scientists came to this conclusion after analyzing the data of about 3 thousand people.

The researchers focused on five indicators of a healthy lifestyle: physical activity, no smoking, no alcohol abuse, good diet, and cognitive (intellectual) activity. Those who followed four or all five of the healthy practices had a 60% lower risk of Alzheimer's than those who followed just one of them. Two or three healthy habits reduced this risk by 37%.

The criterion for good physical activity was 150 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise per week. Scientists included the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and their combination to prevent nervous diseases (MIND) as healthy diet options.

The authors believe that this work convincingly shows that the simultaneous treatment of several modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease has a significant effect.

Participants in two large observational studies were included in the scientific work for which all data on diet and lifestyle were known.

Previously, scientists considered evidence of a preventive role for factors such as increased physical activity, blood pressure control, and cognitive training as promising but still insufficient.