A Little Goes A Long Way: Lowering Your Dementia Risk With Small Lifestyle Changes

We certainly live in interesting times when it comes to dementia. On the one hand, the number of people diagnosed with dementia is expected to double by the year 2060, and it’s currently estimated that about 42% of the population over 55 will eventually be diagnosed with some type of dementia. On the flip side, we’ve never known as much as we do now about how to lower the risk of dementia, and how to diagnose and even treat persons with dementia. While we have yet to find a “cure,” there’s no doubt that there’s much that can now be done to lower your risk and to diagnose and potentially slow down the progression of this debilitating affliction. Scientific progress on diagnosing and treating dementia is ongoing, and identification of concrete lifestyle changes to lower your risk is an exciting development. 

Just last week, we reported on current research about the value of “active” sitting and mental engagement as a way to lower your risk for dementia. We now have additional new studies that further illuminate how you can reduce your risk with modest changes in your lifestyle or healthy aging habits. To begin, consider what and how you eat. Numerous prior studies have linked a healthy diet with better brain health and the potential to lower your risk of cognitive decline. To take that one step further, it now appears that if you cook the food you are eating, the act of cooking in and of itself may provide further protection against a dementia diagnosis. In a new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, researchers analyzed data from 11,000 participants aged 65 and over regarding their culinary skills and the amount of weekly time devoted to cooking. Because cooking can be a daily activity that engages both your body and brain, it opens up an opportunity to see if it can protect cognitive health, beyond the nutritional value of whatever is being prepared. What the researchers found is that home cooking, which involves planning, shopping, reading recipes, and coordinating stages, can lower your risk for dementia by up to 30%. Even more intriguing was that the fewer cooking skills you have, the bigger the dementia protection that can come from home cooking. Those participants with the fewest cooking skills were able to lower their dementia risk by as much as 70%. While this was an association, not proof, and more research is needed to confirm and expand upon these results, the potential for real protection is exciting. It seems that cooking, especially for those who pick up this skill later in life, is a win-win for those who can at least cook at home once a week: better food and better brain health to boot. So fire up the oven and find out more here.

Another relatively easy change that may improve your ability to fight off dementia? Not only should you get your yearly flu shot every Fall, but the evidence underscores the value of the “high dose” flu shot recommended for older adults as an important strategy for lowering your risk of dementia. According to new research published in the journal Neurology, adults aged 65 and older, and especially older women, who were given the high-dose influenza vaccine, had a significantly lower number of Alzheimer’s diagnoses compared to those who received the standard vaccine. The high-dose vaccine, recommended by the CDC for those aged 65 and older, whose immune systems may be less effective at fighting infection, is 4 times stronger than the standard vaccine younger adults are given. While the standard dose has also been shown to lower the risk of dementia (by about 40%), the higher dose was found to lower the risk in those inoculated with it by nearly 55%. While this was a relatively short study that will need further expansion to test its results for a longer period in a more diverse population, it does suggest that with one jab, you can up your dementia protection while lowering your risk for a serious case of the flu as well. So roll up your sleeve and read more here.

Finally, we’ve previously highlighted the potential connection between vitamin D and brain health. New research published in Neurology Open Access now takes that connection a step further. According to this new study, higher levels of Vitamin D (as found in blood tests) during midlife appear to correlate with lower levels of tau protein, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, years later. The implication is that lower levels of Vitamin D could be a risk factor for a subsequent dementia diagnosis, one that could be addressed and treated, and thus reduce your risk of dementia. This study involved about 800 participants with an average age of 39, whose vitamin D levels were measured at the study start, and who were followed for 16 years. Those with higher vitamin D levels at the start had lower levels of tau protein after 16 years. While this study had limitations of only measuring Vitamin D levels at the start of the research, and involved mostly Caucasian participants, it does raise interesting questions about the role of Vitamin D and cognitive health, an area of active research. So, on your next visit to your primary care provider, you may want to have your Vitamin D levels checked and start a conversation as to whether supplementing your Vitamin D intake makes sense for you. While Vitamin D is important for many aspects of healthy aging, it might also be one more step you can take to help lower your risk of dementia.