Everyone knows focusing on our health takes on increased importance as we age. However, while it might be relatively clear what has to be done to keep heart disease at bay, things aren’t as straightforward when it comes to brain health. And with U.S. dementia cases expected to double to about 42 percent of Americans 55 and older by the year 2060, there's an even greater urgency to focus on tackling cognitive decline head-on. Fortunately, new research is now showing that two very simple—and relatively enjoyable—everyday activities can actually help prevent dementia.
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Can staying active have a positive impact on your brain health?
Most people put effort into their workout routines with fitness, weight loss, and heart health goals in mind. But what if hitting the gym could also have cognitive benefits as well?
In a recent study published in the journal Aging Cell, researchers set out to better examine the connection between insulin and dementia. Specifically, the group hoped to better understand how extracellular vesicles—small particles that were once considered “cell dust” by scientists—in the brain could affect insulin sensitivity. This is especially problematic for people with diabetes or prediabetes since brain cells can’t access glucose as easily and can hamper cognitive function.
To test this, a team of scientists at Rutgers University-New Brunswick gathered 21 volunteers with an average age of 60 and a prediabetes diagnosis. They then had each participant engage in a dozen moderate-to-high-intensity workout sessions. The volunteers also drank a glucose beverage and had blood samples collected before and after each workout.
Results from the blood work found that the amount of vesicles in the brain involved in insulin sensitivity actually increased during the exercise sessions. The team said this showed a “clinical improvement” in blood sugar.
How does insulin factor into dementia?
In a press release, Steven Malin, PhD, the study’s lead author and an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Rutgers, said these findings suggest that working out can improve the brain's ability to more easily access insulin and stabilize brain function. He explained that prediabetic people with systemically low insulin levels are at a higher risk for cognitive diseases like Alzheimer's as a result—especially because the hormone plays an important role in memory formation and synapse function.
"If insulin is insufficient in the brain, that means not only will brain cells become potentially dysfunctional, but also they may fail to interact with each other properly," Malin said. "It's like playing the game telephone with a friend. At some point, the message gets lost when the brain becomes insulin resistant."
Ultimately, this could also affect treatment, with Malin concluding: "Our work suggests that therapies that target brain insulin action may be able to ward off dementia.” Currently, he is planning another long-term experiment that further examines the relationship between exercise and insulin sensitivity.
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Can staying social prevent cognitive decline?
It also might not just be physical exercise that can help with brain health. A separate study published in December in the Alzheimer’s Association’s journal Alzheimer’s and Dementiafocused on socialization as a means by which to prevent cognitive decline. The authors point out that previous studies have shown social engagement has been associated with a decreased risk of dementia.
To test their hypothesis, the research team analyzed data collected from more than 2,300 seniors in the greater Chicago area who enrolled in the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP) that started in 1997. Each participant then reported how frequently they participated in social events, including going to restaurants, sporting events, or playing bingo; taking a day or overnight trip; volunteering in the community; visiting friends or relatives at their houses; taking part in a group activity; or attending religious services. Researchers then used this to develop a point score for their level of social activity.
Each year, volunteers were clinically screened and administered a series of different cognitive tests. A cognitive specialist then used the scores to determine which volunteers had developed either mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or a higher diagnosis of dementia.
There was an association between dementia and socialization.
Ultimately, a group of about 1,900 people average age of 80 were followed up with for a mean of just over six and a half years. Results showed that 36 percent of volunteers developed MCI, while 28 percent developed dementia.
The team then went further, factoring in different conditions to determine whether other variables could be contributing to decline, including number of social connections and outside support. With these things considered, the team found that volunteers with lower social activity scores were at much higher risk of developing dementia than those with higher ones. Specifically, each point difference in social score saw a 40 percent variance in the likelihood of a diagnosis, while 21 percent saw the same for MCI.
The data also revealed that while socialization didn’t outright prevent cognitive decline, it did help slow it down: The average age of dementia diagnosis was 87.7 years old for the least social volunteers, while the most active were 92.2 years old on average, representing a roughly five-year gap.
The Takeaway:
Two separate studies have shed some light on some basic, everyday activities that can help prevent dementia. The first saw that subjecting volunteers to an hour-long workout helped increased insulin sensitivity, which researchers said decreases the risk of dementia in turn.
"We believe this work is important because it suggests exercise may work to improve cognition and memory by improving the abilities of insulin to act on the brain," Malin said.
A second study looked at socialization and how it could impact brain health in the long term. After analyzing daily habits, the study found that the least active participants were more likely to develop dementia five years earlier on average than the most sociable ones. This remained true even when factors like smaller social support networks were factored in.
