The researchers evaluated the health data of 586 individuals who participated in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a longitudinal study that ran from 1997 to 2022.
After the participants from the study were all deceased and had undergone an autopsy, the study results were compiled.
The study included information about the individual’s cognition, lifestyle factors, and results from neuropathologic evaluations.
A lifestyle score, ranging from 0 to 5, was assigned to each individual, depending on how much regular physical activity they get, whether they smoked or drank alcohol, what their diet was like, and if they were involved in cognitive activities.
The researchers found that a healthier lifestyle was linked to better cognitive function, regardless of whether the participants had brain pathologies like Alzheimer’s disease.
Higher lifestyle scores were also associated with lower levels of the beta-amyloid plaque, a protein that accumulates in the brain in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
This suggests lifestyle factors may have a protective effect on brain function in older adults, even in people who are actively experiencing cognitive decline.
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