Healthy lifestyle halves risk of dementia

A healthy cardiovascular lifestyle almost halves the risk of age-related dementia, according to new research. The findings open up the possibility that cardiovascular disease and dementia can be prevented simultaneously.

Healthy lifestyles may be one of the keys to avoiding dementia later in life. Startling results from researchers at Rigshospitalet, Herlev-Gentofte Hospital and the University of Copenhagen show that following the healthy lifestyle advice used to prevent cardiovascular disease can almost halve the risk of age-related dementia.

There is currently no medicine that can cure or reduce the risk of dementia. According to one of the researchers behind the study, Professor and consultant physician Ruth Frikke-Schmidt from the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, it is therefore crucial to intensify prevention efforts in general, but especially for those parts of the population where targeted prevention is most beneficial - namely among those most vulnerable to developing dementia.

- We have identified a combination of factors - age, gender, diabetes, smoking, blood pressure, education, physical activity, and the common variation in genes - which together can identify the groups most vulnerable to developing dementia compared to the population as a whole. Our research results show that a healthy cardiovascular lifestyle almost halves the risk of developing dementia, even in those parts of the population with the greatest genetic contribution. These results can form the basis for better targeting of future prevention and thus maximize the effect for the individual," says Ruth Frikke-Schmidt.

The new study has been published in the leading cardiac journal European Heart Journal and presented at the European Atherosclerosis Society's international congress.

Targeted prevention

According to Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, controlled clinical studies have shown that memory can be maintained or improved through a combination of an intensive prevention program of supervised physical and brain exercise several times a week, as well as dietary guidance and control of cardiovascular risk factors.

- Such a comprehensive prevention program would be unrealistically expensive to implement for all citizens, and therefore our new results are important in order to target the program to the parts of the population where it will benefit the most," says Ruth Frikke-Schmidt.

Worldwide, around 50 million people are affected by dementia, and in Denmark alone, around 90,000 people are living with the disease. The increasing global prevalence of both dementia and cardiovascular disease means that both targeted and more general prevention is important, and Ruth Frikke-Schmidt sees great potential in thinking in terms of joint prevention for the two disease groups.

- If we get this right politically and health-wise, we now have a unique opportunity to add disease-free years to old age and ensure a better quality of life for older citizens and their families," said Ruth Frikke-Schmidt.

Over 60,000 blood samples examined

The researchers examined data from questionnaires and blood from 62,000 people from the Herlev-Østerbro Study and the Østerbro Study. The research results showed that the combination of absence of diabetes, non-smoking status and education longer than eight years almost halved the risk of age-related dementia, even in those parts of the population with the greatest genetic contribution. Increased physical activity and normal blood pressure were also beneficial.

The research project was carried out in collaboration with Ida Juul Rasmussen, MD, PhD (Rigshospitalet), Katrine Laura Rasmussen, MD, PhD and post doc. Katrine Laura Rasmussen (Rigshospitalet and Nordsjællands Hospital), professor, consultant, dr.med. Børge G. Nordestgaard (Herlev-Gentofte Hospital) and professor, consultant, dr.med. Anne Tybjærg-Hansen (Rigshospitalet).

The research project is supported by Rigshospitalet's Research Committee, the Capital Region of Denmark's Research Fund, the Lundbeck Foundation, and the Danish Heart Foundation.