CLEVELAND — You don’t have to look too hard to find recommendations on the best exercises to perform, or foods to eat, to optimize your body’s health. Now a new study is raising the alarm about how seriously we take our brain health.
The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology, Monday. Researchers looked at nearly 3,500 participants in 2016 and 2017. Here’s a look at some of the key findings:
- 1 in 10 Americans over 65 had dementia
- 1 in 5 Americans over 65 had mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
- 15% of African Americans tested positive for dementia
- 10% of Hispanics tested positive for dementia
- 9% of White Americans tested positive for dementia
News 5 spoke with the Director of the UH Brain Health and Memory Center, Dr. Alan Lerner, about the findings.
“This was a very well-done study,” he said, noting the number of participants involved and the diversity of those participants. “It’s a question of health equity and you know, surprise, surprise African-Americans were almost twice as likely to have dementia.”
Lerner said the results were about what he’d expected. Since the data was collected in 2016 and 2017, he suspects the prevalence of dementia and MCI has only gotten worse.
“The group of people over age 65 is the fastest-growing part of the population,” he noted. He also believes the pandemic would be a factor, saying an estimated 40-50% of COVID-19 patients suffered brain fog. “We have a major new disease that affects the brain independent of all these other things.”
There are some ways to keep your brain fit. One is to take care of your body. Lerner says physical ailments like diabetes and high blood pressure are associated with memory loss. You should also take special care to focus specifically on your brain health. One important thing you can do is be a life-long learner.
“Education was protective,” Lerner said. “With each additional year of education, I think the rate of memory loss went down about 5%.” If you’re considering taking up a new instrument in your golden years or enrolling in a class, Lerner says go for it! He also says the brain thrives on novelty. So don’t just go for a walk around your neighborhood, take it a step further.
“Noticing things, you know, changes in your environment, is an important part of it,” he said. Look around and notice who’s painted their house and which flowers are blooming.
While this research shines a light on the prevalence of dementia, University Hospitals is doing some research of its own. Lerner is the principal investigator at UH for the AHEAD Study. It’s looking for participants who do not have dementia right now but are at a higher risk. The study will test a treatment to see if it's effective in reducing that risk. You can learn more here.
