Think positively about dementia to lower risk

Thinking positively about aging could lower risk of dementia.

Published: by Interim HealthCare in Alzheimer’s

There’s new evidence to suggest that how adults think can affect their health and how they age. A recent study led by Becca Levy, professor at the Yale School of Public Health, analyzed how attitudes about aging may affect risk of cognitive diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Testing the theory

Levy and her team of researchers observed a sample of 4,765 adults with an average age of 72 years. None of the participants had dementia at the beginning of the study, but 1,250 had the APOE4 gene, which increases the risk of developing the disease. The researchers surveyed the participants to determine their attitude about their own aging, asking them to agree or disagree with statements like “The older I get, the more useless I feel.” These types of questions were designed to gain insight into how the participants felt about their individual health, but also about their place in society.

The results, published in PLOS One, showed that those who had positive beliefs about aging had about a 44 percent lower risk of developing dementia in the next four years, when compared to those with a more negative mindset. They found an even more significant connection between outlook and risk for those with the APOE4 gene. Only 2.7 percent of those with positive beliefs developed dementia, whereas 6.1 percent of those with a negative outlook were later diagnosed with the disease.

While the researchers did not claim that a negative mindset about aging could be the cause of mental decline, they did conclude that there is a significant association between attitude and dementia risk. They also suggested that a reason for the higher risk in those with a poor outlook on aging could be chronic stress, which can contribute to cognitive decline.

Following additional prevention methods

While changing mindset may seem like an easier feat compared to other prevention methods, it’s important to combine positive thinking with other efforts to further reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association stressed the head-heart connection: What’s healthy for the cardiovascular system is typically beneficial for cognitive health as well, especially considering about 80 percent of patients with a cognitive disease also suffer from heart disease. Therefore, older adults should combine regular exercise and healthy eating with positive thinking for well-rounded prevention efforts.