Seven healthy habits associated with a lower risk of dementia in people at genetic risk

Seven healthy habits and lifestyle factors may play a role in reducing the risk of dementia in people with the highest genetic risk, according to a study published in the online edition of May 25, 2022. NeurologyMedical Journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Seven cardiovascular and brain health factors known as the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7: Be active, eat better, lose weight, don’t smoke, maintain healthy blood pressure, control cholesterol, and lower blood sugar.

“These healthy habits in Life’s Simple 7 have been associated with a lower risk of dementia in general, but it is unknown whether the same applies to people with high genetic risk“The good news is that even for people who are at highest genetic risk, living the same healthier lifestyle is likely to live a similarly healthier lifestyle.” there will be less risk of dementia ”.

The study involved 8,823 people of European descent and 2,738 people of African descent who had been observed for 30 years. At the start of the study, people had a mean age of 54 years.

Study participants reported levels of all seven health factors. Overall scores ranged from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most unhealthy score and 14 being the healthiest score. The average score among those of European descent was 8.3, and the average score among people of African descent was 6.6.

The researchers calculated the results of genetic risk at the start of the study using general genomic Alzheimer’s disease statistics, which were used to study the genetic risk of dementia.

Participants of European descent were divided into five groups, and those of African descent were divided into three groups based on genetic risk indicators. The group with the highest genetic risk included people who had at least one copy of an APOE gene variant associated with Alzheimer’s disease, APOE e4. Of those of European descent, 27.9% had the APOE e4 variant, while of those of African descent, 40.4% had the APOE e4 variant. In the lowest-risk group was the APOE e2 variant, which was associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

By the end of the study, 1,603 people of European descent had developed dementia and 631 people of African descent had dementia.

For people of European descent, the researchers found that people with the highest score on lifestyle factors had a lower risk of dementia in all five genetic risk groups, including the group with the highest genetic risk. risk of dementia. For each increase of one lifestyle factor, the risk of dementia decreased by 9%. Among those of European descent, compared with the low lifestyle factor category, the intermediate and high categories were associated with a 30% and 43% lower risk of dementia, respectively. Among individuals of African descent, intermediate and high categories were associated with 6% and 17% lower risk of developing dementia, respectively.

Among people of African descent, researchers found a similar pattern of reduced risk of dementia in all three groups among those who received higher scores on lifestyle factors. But the researchers said fewer participants in the group limited the findings, so more research is needed.

“Larger sample sizes from different populations are needed to obtain more reliable estimates of the impact of these changing health factors on dementia risk in different genetic risk groups and ancestral origins, ”Ting said.

A limitation of the study was the smaller sample size among African people pedigree and that many African-American participants were recruited from one place.