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Mid-Life Decisions Have Long-Term Effects

Women jogging
David Walters



 

Dear Readers,

When it comes to cognitive decline and dementia there are risk factors specific to midlife that I would like to share with you.  For younger AARP members (50-55) this applies to you, and for older members, this may apply to middle-aged children, friends or family.

Last year, the World Dementia Council and the Alzheimer’s Association carried out a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. The purpose of the review was to assess the robustness of the scientific evidence.  In the final report, there were two risk factors, strongly evidenced, related to health in midlife (45-55).  These factors, which may fully double your risk for cognitive decline and dementia, are midlife obesity and midlife hypertension.  For these two risk factors, there is an abundance of evidence, underlining the importance of both making healthy lifestyle choices during our 40’s and 50’s and of partnering with your doctor to treat conditions and manage your health.

Making a firm commitment to your health may not be a piece of cake;  but, perhaps avoiding Alzheimer’s disease will be the just the push some need to take steps toward a healthier lifestyle, which includes regular visits with your doctor, habitual aerobic exercise and a strong Mediterranean diet.

It has been my pleasure sharing with you good news about brain health for the past 12 months and I hope I’ve convinced you  that we can purposefully take care of our brains and reduce our risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.   After this month’s blog, I will hand over the reins to my colleague in the NorthShore Center for Brain Health, Dr. Smita Patel, who is a board-certified neurologist specializing in brain health, sleep and integrative medicine.  She has a lot to say about brain health, and I am happy to share the stage. Thank you for reading!

In good brain health,

Dr. Demetrius “Jim” Maraganore

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