A 20-year new study has found that following seven healthy habits and lifestyle factors, known as the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7, may lower the risk of dementia in women. These factors include staying active, eating better, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, maintaining healthy blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, and low blood sugar. includes maintaining the
A new study that followed women participants for 20 years found that seven healthy habits and lifestyle factors may play a role in lowering the risk of dementia. The preliminary study, presented February 27, 2023, will be presented at the 75th meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.th The Annual Meeting will be held in person in Boston and will be streamed live online April 22-27, 2023.
Known as the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7, the seven cardiovascular and brain health factors are: staying active, eating better, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, maintaining healthy blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, and hypoglycemia.
Dr. Pamela List of Brigham and Women’s said: A hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, he is a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “The good news is that making healthy lifestyle choices in middle age may lead to lower dementia risk later in life.”
The American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 is a set of health goals that help people improve their overall health and reduce their risk of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases. These seven goals include:
- Manage your blood pressure: Keeping your blood pressure within a healthy range can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Control Cholesterol: High levels of cholesterol in the blood can increase the risk of heart disease.
- Lower blood sugar: High blood sugar increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.
- Stay Active: Regular physical activity improves your overall health and reduces your risk of chronic disease.
- Eat Better: A healthy diet reduces the risk of chronic disease and improves overall health.
- Lose weight: Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your risk of chronic disease and improve your overall health.
- Quit smoking: Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases.
By focusing on these seven goals, individuals can make positive lifestyle changes that lead to improved health and reduced risk of chronic disease.
The study involved 13,720 female participants with a mean age of 54 years at study initiation.
After 20 years of follow-up, researchers looked at Medicare data to identify people diagnosed with dementia.
1,771 of the participants, or 13%, developed dementia.
For each of the seven health factors, participants were given a score of 0 for poor or moderate health and 1 for ideal health, for a total of 7 points. Mean scores were 4.3 at study entry and 4.2 over 10 years. later.
After adjusting for factors such as age and education, the researchers found that each point increase in score reduced participants’ dementia risk by 6%.
“It can be empowering for people to know that they can reduce their risk of dementia by taking steps like 30 minutes of exercise a day and controlling their blood pressure.
A limitation of this study was that the researchers were unable to examine how changing factors, such as smoking cessation, affect subsequent dementia risk.
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
