Biological Age Linked to Increased Dementia Risk According to New Study

A new analysis published in the journal Neurology paints a much more troubling picture. People who have a biological age older than their chronological age have an increased risk of developing dementia. This new research followed more than 280,000 people, who were an average age of 57 years at the start, for nearly 14 years. Notably, it identifies biological age as an important marker of dementia risk. By effectively managing important health factors, you can reduce your biological age. This, in turn, makes it less likely that they will go on to develop dementia.

>Dr. Rehan Aziz, a key researcher in the study, emphasizes that biological age is influenced by numerous inputs, including biomarkers such as blood pressure and other blood chemistry values. He says it is the people with the greatest biological age who are at greatest risk. They are 60% more likely to develop dementia than people in the lowest biological age group. This relationship highlights the critical need to explore the complex, multidimensional factors that contribute to the onset of dementia.

Yacong Bo, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at Zhengzhou University in China, points to an especially striking finding. He adds that the gap between biological and chronological age could indicate an individual’s risk of developing dementia. “With the rising impact of dementia around the world, identifying risk factors and implementing preventive measures is essential,” Bo stated.

Aziz underscores how crucial it is for us to adopt lifestyle changes to reduce those risks, particularly as people age. In addition to losing weight, he believes that exercising regularly is the most important thing we can do to reduce our biological age. “To help improve overall health and potentially reduce the risk of developing dementia, we recommend that people engage in regular physical activity,” Aziz said. He urges that sleep and mental health be managed. These factors are surprisingly important drivers of biological aging.

Along with physical activity, Aziz promotes the importance of a nutritious diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. He especially approves of eating plans such as the Mediterranean diet and the MIND diet. These diets work wonders to lower cholesterol levels and inflammation. “A nutritious diet can help control cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, and lower blood pressure,” he noted.

Aziz emphasizes the need to remove modifiable risk factors in order to truly reduce biological age. This means keeping a healthy weight, staying away from tobacco and too much alcohol, and keeping stress in check. Pierce sees regular medical check-ups as an important opportunity to monitor these health markers.

He stated, “Attending to preventative and general health, as well as addressing biomarkers associated with biological aging, including abnormal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, is essential for management of accelerated aging.” Aziz’s observations echo public health advocate Chen-Han Chen’s call for more public health initiatives focused on screening for risk factors of dementia. Chen asserts, “These results should drive further public health efforts to screen for and intervene on dementia risk factors in the community.”

The study’s comprehensive data collection included individuals who had not been diagnosed with dementia at the study’s outset. By utilizing this comparative approach, the reliability of the findings are greatly enhanced. It’s a very explicit study showing that interventions that reduce biological age might have an outsized role to play in preventing dementia.