Altering Type 2 Diabetes Habits to Potentially Minimize Dementia Risk
Dementia ain't no walk in the park, mate. It's a chronic condition that messes with yer memory, thinking, and reasoning. It gets worse over time and can make daily living a real struggle. No cure for it yet, but there are somethin' ya can do to lower yer risk.
A recent study published in Neurology found that for folks with diabetes, adopting certain healthy lifestyle habits can help reduce dementia risk. Let's take a gander at those habits and see how they can benefit ya.
Dementia: A persistent threat
Dementia is a broad term for disorders that affect our ability to remember, think, and reason. It typically gets worse as time goes on and can seriously interfere with yer ability to live independently. Age and family history are factors that can't be changed, but there are others that can be modified to reduce risk. Smokin', obesity, and excessive boozin' are risks for Alzheimer's and related dementias. Diabetes is another risk factor for dementia, especially type 2.
Diabetes, dementia, and healthy lifestyle choices
In this study, researchers examined how seven healthy lifestyle habits impacted dementia risk. These habits included:
- kippin' clear of smokes
- moderate drinkin'
- gettin' regular physical activity
- eatin' a balanced diet
- gettin' adequate sleep
- keepin' active during the day instead of sittin' around
- regular socialization
The researchers gathered data for this study from the U.K. Biobank and included participants aged 60 or older without dementia at the start. They specifically left out folks with type 1 diabetes to focus on those with type 2.
The researchers assigned participants a healthy lifestyle score based on the above habits. Someone was classified as physically active if they had at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week.
The study included over 160,000 participants, including over 12,000 with diabetes. They followed the participants for an average of 12 years and found that healthy lifestyle habits were associated with a reduced risk of dementia. The reduction was even more noticeable among those with diabetes.
Dr. Yingli Lu, one of the study authors, commented to Medical News Today: "Our findings highlight that although patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing dementia later compared with those without, adherence to an overall healthy lifestyle may greatly reduce this risk."
Jeroen Mahieu, a non-study author and Alzheimer's researcher, added: "The most important finding of this study is that adhering to a healthy lifestyle substantially reduces the risk of developing dementia for diabetes patients; significantly more than when you do not have diabetes. Yet, due to the nature of the data and the research design we should be cautious with interpreting these effects as causal."
Study limitations and future research
The study found that healthy lifestyle habits can decrease the risk of dementia, particularly for those with diabetes. However, it also had some limitations.
First, lifestyle behavior information was self-reported, increasing the risk of errors. Second, lifestyle factor data was collected only at baseline and not data on lifestyle factor changes. Finally, the researchers couldn't collect data about lifestyle factors for participants before they developed diabetes.
Based on the data collection methods, the research team acknowledged that they might have misclassified participants with diabetes or prediabetes as not having diabetes. They also noted that participants they had to exclude due to missing data were more likely to have lower education and socioeconomic status, which could have impacted the results.
In spite of these limitations, the study adds to a growing body of data regarding how lifestyle choices affect health. Dr. Lu commented to Medical News Today: "Our data may have important implications for doctors, and other medical professionals who treat people with diabetes. They should consider recommending lifestyle changes to their patients. Such changes may not only improve overall health but also contribute to the prevention or delayed onset of dementia in people with diabetes. Future research is needed to determine how combined healthy lifestyle behaviors benefit cognitive outcomes in diabetes and the possible mechanisms."
- Dementia encompasses a range of disorders that impact memory, thinking, and reasoning, often becoming more severe over time.
- Age and family history are prominent factors influencing dementia risk, but other modifiable factors exist.
- Smoking, obesity, excessive drinking, and diabetes (especially type 2) are risks for Alzheimer's and related dementias.
- A recent study in Neurology investigated the impact of seven healthy lifestyle habits on dementia risk.
- These habits consisted of: abstaining from smoking, moderate drinking, regular physical activity, balanced diet, adequate sleep, active daily routine, and regular socialization.
- Participants were classified physically active if they had at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week.
- The study included over 160,000 participants, with over 12,000 having diabetes, and followed them for an average of 12 years.
- Adherence to a healthy lifestyle was associated with a reduced risk of dementia, and the reduction was more pronounced among those with diabetes.
- Dr. Yingli Lu, an author of the study, stated that adherence to an overall healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce dementia risk for diabetes patients.
- Jeroen Mahieu, an Alzheimer's researcher not involved in the study, added that adhering to a healthy lifestyle substantially reduces dementia risk for both diabetes and non-diabetes patients.
- The study had limitations, including self-reported lifestyle behavior data, no data on lifestyle factor changes, and missing data on participants, which might have affected the results.
- Despite these limitations, the research adds to a growing body of evidence on how lifestyle choices impact health and may have implications for medical professionals who treat people with diabetes.
- Future research is needed to determine how combined healthy lifestyle behaviors affect cognitive outcomes in diabetes and the possible underlying mechanisms.
- Beyond diabetes and dementia, other chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes, prediabetes, and various medical conditions require a healthy lifestyle involving fitness and exercise, nutrition, mental health care, women's and men's health, skin care, workplace-wellness programs, parenting support, and therapies and treatments.
