December 18, 2024
Want to stay dementia free to age 80 and beyond? Researchers at the RAND corporation, a nonprofit research group, identified various factors at age 60 that can predict the onset of dementia 20 years later. Many of these factors can be addressed with lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia down the road.
For the study, researchers used data from cognition and dementia measures in the Health and Retirement Study to detect elevated risk for dementia years before its onset. The ongoing study has followed a nationally representative sample of about 20,000 older Americans since 1992.
The researchers investigated 181 potential dementia risk factors for individuals up to 20 years before a diagnosis. They considered such factors as lifestyle habits, general cognitive and physical health, where someone lived, education, work histories and hobbies.
The strongest risk factors for dementia at age 60 were lower levels of memory and thinking skills; functional limitations, such as difficulty with bathing or walking, low grip strength, or poor balance; and poor general physical health. Chronic health conditions like diabetes, obesity and stroke by age 60 were strongly linked to a higher likelihood of developing dementia later in life.
Lifestyle and related factors also mattered. Lack of exercise and not engaging in mentally stimulating hobbies at age 60 were strong predictors of who would develop dementia by age 80. People were also more likely to develop dementia if they never drank alcohol or were excessive drinkers, compared to moderate drinkers.
“This work provides additional evidence about actions that individuals can take to pursue a lifestyle that promotes brain health across the lifespan,” said Peter Hudomiet, the report’s lead author and a senior economist at RAND.
In addition to lifestyle, researchers found additional factors associated with dementia. People born in the South faced higher chances of developing dementia, even when controlling for many other factors. Those who had never worked, did not graduate from high school, or lacked private health insurance were also at increased risk. While genetics affected risk, the general health of participants’ parents or their race and ethnicity had less of an impact on dementia risk.
The findings showed only associations and cannot prove cause and effect. But numerous studies suggest that changing some of your lifestyle habits could help to keep the mind sharp into old age. Among them: Get regular exercise, find a stimulating hobby, stay socially active, limit alcohol consumption, and manage any chronic health conditions you may have.
By ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by Eric Schmidt, Ph.D. Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.
Source: Peter Hudomiet, Michael D. Hurd, Susann Rohwedder: “Identifying Early Predictors of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in a Large Nationally Representative U.S. Sample.” RAND Research report, December 3, 2024
