Can Healthy Living Delay Dementia?

To Your Heath from Pinnacle!

New research from York University suggests so and could be important news not just for seniors, but all of us.  Cited is the combination of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables along with regular exercise leading to higher brain function in both younger and older adults.

And best of all, for many is that their combination may also delay the onset of dementia.

Over 45,000 Participants Studied

By any measure, this was a substantive and impressive study.  Eating more than 10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables and moderate exercise led to better cognitive functioning for participants who were either of normal weight or moderately overweight.

Dangers of an Unhealthy Lifestyle

As the benefits of eating right foods and exercise benefit brain function, the opposite is also true. Those with weight issues who exercised less and ate little or no fruits and vegetables, had far poorer brain function.

Lifestyle Risk Factors and Behaviors

Around the world, especially in Western cultures, we’ve seen rising rates of inactivity and skyrocketing rates of obesity. What’s clear is how lifestyles ingrained over lifetimes can directly link to cognitive function – and how healthier habits can potentially delay decline.

Researchers are already planning additional studies of participants at all stages of life to gain a more comprehensive and complete life-span understanding.  The aim is to study younger, middle-aged and older adults collectively.  Hopes are high that the study will yield a better understanding of the risks and links to dementia, and things regular people can do to reduce the incidence.

The goal is to better understand how lifelong behaviors contribute to cognitive decline.

The Best Advice

For now, the best advice is to go easier on the treats, sweets, fried and highly-processed foods, and replace them with fruits and vegetables.  Stay active and make exercise part of a new, healthier lifestyle, and you may benefit from better health and improved brain function.

You’ll likely feel better and enjoy better health.