A long-term study shows that lifelong mental training can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by almost 40 percent and delay the onset by more than five years.
A long-term study provides groundbreaking evidence: If you challenge your brain throughout your life, you can delay Alzheimer’s disease for years. The one in the specialist journal Neurology Published results show a risk reduction of almost 40 percent. This week, experts discussed the data at an international conference in Copenhagen.
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Five more years without symptoms
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Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago followed almost 2,000 older participants for eight years. The result is clear: the most mentally active group only became ill at an average age of 94. In the least active people, symptoms appeared as early as age 88. This gain of more than five years of symptom-free life is considered highly clinically relevant. For a preliminary stage of dementia, the lead was even seven years.
The brain creates a buffer
The most notable finding: Mental activity protects function, not structure. Autopsies showed that typical Alzheimer’s proteins such as amyloid plaques were present in all of the deceased. But those with high “cognitive reserve” performed significantly better in tests shortly before death. Their brain was better able to compensate for the damage – through more robust networking of the nerve cells.
What counts as cognitive reserve?
The study looked at the entire lifespan. Protective factors include regular reading, writing, demanding games such as chess and visits to museums. Multilingualism also acts as a buffer. The effect is cumulative: the more varied and constant the mental stimulation, the more robust the protection. Social contacts and physical exercise further increase the effect.
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Prevention is becoming more important
In parallel with the study results, the updated S3 guidelines were published in Germany. For the first time, it takes into account new drugs for early stages. But these therapies are only suitable for a small group and do not cure. Lifestyle prevention therefore remains the broadest and most cost-effective strategy. Experts estimate that up to 45 percent of all cases of dementia could be delayed by influencing risk factors.
Five years of delay would have massive consequences. The number of sick people would drop dramatically as many reach their natural end of life before the outbreak. The study is a clear mandate for politicians: they must invest in lifelong education, libraries and programs to combat social isolation. Dementia prevention begins in childhood and never ends.
Looking into the future: targeted precautions
Research is working on “precision prevention”. In the future, new tests could indicate an individual risk at an early stage. Tailored programs of cognitive training, exercise and nutrition would then be developed for these people. The goal is clear: the healthy lifespan should come as close as possible to the biological life expectancy.
