Relationship between dementia and lifestyle
An active lifestyle that includes exercise and social interaction has a protective effect against all types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Elisa Llurba, Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Medical Director of BeDona, discusses this and other studies in this article that link lifestyle, particularly among women, to the development of diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's.
One in 20 people will eventually develop dementia, and it primarily affects women. Dementia is the leading cause of disability and reduced quality of life and is one of the most feared health conditions after cancer, as most cases are currently incurable. Specifically, Alzheimer's disease affects 5.11% of the population, is more common in women (7.11% vs. 3.31%), and increases exponentially with age (0.97% for those aged 65-74, 7.71% for those aged 75-84, and 22.51% for those 85 and older).
One of the main problems we face is that we cannot diagnose early on which people will develop dementia. This means that by the time a diagnosis is made, the patient is at a point of no return, and several years of loss of autonomy begin for both the individual and their family, with a decline in quality of life and significant financial burden.
The good news is that we can take easy steps to prevent it, since we all place ourselves in a potential risk condition, especially because we are women.
Physical exercise, new challenges or learning, and social life: the pillars of our brain
A very recent study confirms that an active lifestyle, including exercise and social interaction, has a protective effect against all types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. This study followed 500,000 people with an average age of 56 at the start of the study for almost 11 years. It found that those who participated in sports had a 35% lower risk of developing dementia, while those who performed household chores had a 21% lower risk. Not only did physical activity have this protective effect, but having an active social life was also associated with a 15% lower risk. The effect was dose-dependent; that is, the more physical activity, the greater the protection.
What is very interesting is that the authors of the study showed that the benefit was obtained both in people with a family history or with a genetic susceptibility to dementia, suggesting that the epigenetic effect is powerful and independent of the "a priori" risk, that is, we have in our hands the possibility of modifying our "destiny".
A similar study conducted by combining several studies that analyzed the effect of physical activity and social activities also confirms this protective effect.
On the other hand, other risk factors associated with the development of dementia include smoking or alcohol consumption, low socioeconomic status, obesity, depression, diabetes, and hypertension. Exercise can also help prevent or improve some of these health conditions.
The gut-brain axis: how our diet can help the health of our neurons
In recent years, scientific evidence has grown regarding the relationship between the brain and our digestive system, even though this connection may seem counterintuitive at first glance, given that one organ is "far" from the other. It is now known that the gut contains a significant number of cells that secrete neurotransmitters like serotonin; in fact, serotonin 70% is secreted in the gut. Furthermore, brain-gut communication is bidirectional, with various communication pathways at the hormonal, neuronal, and immune levels. We notice this in some aspects of our daily lives: when we are nervous, we get stomach aches or feel the urge to use the bathroom; when we see someone we like, we feel butterflies in our stomach; or when we are sad, we lose our appetite, to name a few examples.
Beyond these effects, people with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are four times more likely to develop dementia years earlier than those without the disease (76.2 years versus 83.5 years at diagnosis), and this relationship is inversely proportional to the number of years with the condition. Another 2022 study that evaluated all available evidence on this topic to date, using data from 2.3 million people, confirmed that individuals with IBD have a significantly higher risk of dementia, regardless of age, gender, type of dementia, or IBD.
The exact mechanism that explains this relationship is still unclear, although the strongest hypothesis is that inflammatory bowel disease leads to increased inflammation, altered microbiota, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier.
Given this evidence, and even if we don't have clear symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, taking care of our gut microbiota and our diet is key to preventing cognitive decline. Promoting lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, avoiding processed foods and sugar, increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fermented foods, as well as managing stress and emotions, is highly recommended.
If you want to learn more about the relationship between nutrition, exercise, and health, we recommend our conscious menopause program where we will provide guidelines for an anti-inflammatory diet, an exercise plan to increase muscle mass, and tools for stress management such as mindfulness.
