A new study found that a combination of seven healthy lifestyle habits was associated with a lower risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes. These habits include sleeping seven to nine hours a day, exercising regularly and having frequent social contact.
Restful sleep, social contact and exercise among healthy habits.
A combination of seven healthy lifestyle habits was associated with a lower risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes. These habits included sleeping seven to nine hours a day, exercising regularly and having frequent social contact. This is according to a study published in the September 14, 2022, online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Dementia is decreased cognitive function, with loss of the ability to remember, solve problems, think, or make decisions, that has progressed to the point of interfering with daily activities.
” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute=””>Alzheimer’s[{“attribute=””>Alzheimer’s[{“atributo=””>Alzheimer[{“attribute=””>Alzheimer’s The disease is a specific type of dementia and the most common, with 6 million Americans affected according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Nearly 14 million Americans will suffer from dementia by 2060 according to the CDC.
“Type 2 diabetes is a global epidemic that affects one in 10 adults, and having diabetes is known to increase a person’s risk of developing dementia,” said study author Yingli Lu, MD, PhD, of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China. . “We investigated whether a broad mix of healthy lifestyle habits could offset that risk of dementia and found that people with diabetes who incorporated seven healthy lifestyle habits into their lives had a lower risk of dementia than people with diabetes who did not lead healthy lifestyles. healthy”.
For the study, the scientists looked at a UK healthcare database and identified 167,946 people aged 60 and over with and without diabetes who did not have dementia at the start of the research. The participants provided physical measurements, completed health questionnaires and gave blood samples.
For each participant, the researchers calculated a healthy lifestyle score from zero to seven, with one point for each of seven healthy habits. Habits included not currently smoking, regular weekly physical activity of at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, moderate alcohol consumption of up to one drink a day for women and up to two a day for men, and seven to nine daily hours of sleep. Another factor was a healthy diet that included more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish and fewer refined grains, processed and unprocessed meats. The final habits were being less sedentary, defined as watching television less than four hours a day, and frequent social contact, defined as living with others, meeting with friends or family at least once a month, and participating in social activities . at least once a week or more often.
“Our research shows that for people with type 2 diabetes, the risk of dementia can be greatly reduced by leading a healthier lifestyle.” — Yingli Lu, MD, PhD
The researchers followed the participants for an average of 12 years. During that time, 4,351 people developed dementia. A total of 4% of people followed only zero to two of the healthy habits, 11% followed three, 22% followed four, 30% followed five, 24% followed six, and 9% followed all seven.
People with diabetes who followed two or fewer of the seven healthy habits were four times more likely to develop dementia than people without diabetes who followed all seven healthy habits. People with diabetes who followed all habits were 74% more likely to develop dementia than people without diabetes who followed all habits.
For people with diabetes who followed all habits, there were 21 cases of dementia for 7474 person-years or 0.28%. Person-years represent both the number of people in the study and the amount of time each person spends in the study. For people with diabetes who followed only two habits or fewer, there were 72 cases of dementia per 10,380 person-years, or 0.69%. After adjusting for factors such as age, education and ethnicity, people who followed all habits had a 54% lower risk of dementia than those who followed two or fewer. Each additional healthy habit that people followed was associated with an 11% decreased risk of dementia. The association between a healthy lifestyle score and dementia risk was not affected by the medications people were taking or how well they controlled their blood sugar.
“Our research shows that for people with type 2 diabetes, the risk of dementia can be greatly reduced if they lead a healthier lifestyle,” Lu said. “Physicians and other medical professionals treating people with diabetes should consider recommending lifestyle changes for their patients. Such changes may not only improve overall health, but also contribute to preventing or delaying the onset of dementia in people with diabetes.”
One limitation of the study was that people reported their lifestyle habits and may not have remembered all the details accurately. Changes in lifestyle over time were also not captured.
Reference: “Association of combined healthy lifestyle factors with incident dementia in patients with type 2 diabetes” by Bin Wang, Ying Sun, Xiao Tan, Jihui Zhang, Ningjian Wang, and Yingli Lu, Sep 14, 2022, Neurology.
DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201231
The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and other sponsors.
Source: news.google.com