Small choices made in middle age may shape how the brain ages decades down the road. New research suggests that staying physically active and keeping blood sugar in check during midlife could meaningfully slow cognitive decline later in life.
The study, reported by Science Daily, was conducted by researchers at UT Health San Antonio, the academic health center of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Scientists analyzed 402 people from the San Antonio area. Of the participants, 52 percent were Hispanic and the rest were non-Hispanic white. Their mean age was 57.9, and 58.5 percent were women.
The findings varied by ethnicity. Physical activity was particularly associated with slower cognitive decline among Hispanic participants. Lower fasting blood glucose levels were linked to slower cognitive decline among non-Hispanic white participants. The researchers said the difference suggests that some brain-protective factors may not work the same way across all populations.
Scientists already know that cardiovascular problems in midlife raise the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. This study is among the first to examine how specific cardiovascular health factors relate to cognitive aging across different ethnic groups.
"By improving cardiovascular health through modifiable lifestyle changes, there is a potential to meaningfully alleviate the public health burden of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, particularly in high-risk populations," said Claudia Satizabal, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at UT Health San Antonio and its Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, where she leads the Population Neuroscience Core.
Satizabal served as co-senior author alongside Chen-Pin Wang, PhD, also an associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences. The research was published July 23 in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: Behavior & Socioeconomics of Aging.
The study arrives as dementia becomes an increasingly pressing public health issue. An estimated 6.7 million people in the United States currently have Alzheimer's disease. As the global population ages, researchers say identifying modifiable risk factors early becomes more important. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that lifestyle changes made well before old age can influence how the brain fares in the years that follow.
