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LOS ANGELES >> A healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, even if you have genes that increase your risk of contracting these distressing diseases, revealed a large study.
The researchers reported today that people with high genetic risk and poor health habits were about three times more likely to develop dementia compared to those with low genetic risk and good habits. Whatever a person's genetic risk, good nutrition, proper exercise, limiting alcohol and not smoking reduce the risk of dementia.
"I consider this good news," said John Haaga of the US National Institute on Aging, one of the study's many sponsors. "No one can guarantee that you will escape this terrible disease," but you can tip the scales in your favor through healthy living, he said.
The findings were discussed at the International Conference of the Alzheimer's Association in Los Angeles and published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
About 50 million people have dementia and Alzheimer's disease is the most common type. Genes and lifestyle contribute to many diseases, but researchers have only recently had the tools and information needed to conduct extensive studies to determine the importance of each factor.
A study of this type conducted a few years ago revealed that a healthy lifestyle could help overcome the genetic risk of heart disease. Now researchers have shown that the same is true for dementia.
Dr. Elzbieta Kuzma and her colleagues at the University of Exeter Medical School in England used the British Biobank to study nearly 200,000 people aged 60 or older without any sign or a symptom of dementia at first. Their genetic risk has been classified as high, medium or low based on dozens of mutations known to affect dementia. They were also grouped according to lifestyle factors.
After about eight years of study, 1.8% of people at high genetic risk and poor lifestyle had developed dementia, compared to 0.6% of people with low genetic risk and having healthy habits.
Of those with the highest genetic risk, just over 1% of people with a good lifestyle developed dementia, compared with almost 2% of people with poor lifestyle.
One limitation: the researchers only had information on the changes affecting people of European descent. It is therefore unclear whether the same is true for other racial or ethnic groups.
The results should encourage people who fear that only gene mutations will determine their fate, said Dr. Rudy Tanzi, a genetic expert at Massachusetts General Hospital. Less than 5% of people with Alzheimer's disease are "completely penetrating", which means they guarantee you'll get the disease, he said.
"It means that with 95% of the changes, your lifestyle will make the difference," Tanzi said. "Do not worry too much about your genetics. Spend more time thinking about leading a healthy life. "
A previous study in Sweden and Finland rigorously tested the effects of a healthy lifestyle by assigning a group to a group and including a control group that did not have one. He concluded that healthy habits could help prevent mental decline. The Alzheimer's Association is sponsoring a similar study underway in the United States.
A healthy lifestyle is also at the center of the new dementia prevention guidelines issued by the World Health Organization in February.
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