A checklist has been developed to assess how current habits will impact future brain health, and what measures can be taken now to guard against neurological illness.
By focusing on a list of 12 steps covering modifiable behaviours, adults can greatly reduce their risk of developing brain diseases such as dementia and stroke, according to a new study.
The list looks at physical, lifestyle and social and emotional components of health, and a baseline Brain Care Score (BCS) was devised at the start of enrolment. The study involves 398,990 adults aged 40–69 years in the UK Biobank.
The three categories are:
- Physical components including blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and body mass index
- Lifestyle components including nutrition, alcohol consumption, smoking, aerobic activities and sleep
- Social and emotional components involving stress management, social relationships and perceived role in life.
In the original BCS, scores range from 0 to 21, with a higher score indicating better brain care. Because the UK Biobank had collected nearly all, but not all, components of the BCS in its study design, scores in the UK Biobank ranged from 0-19.
During a median follow-up of 12.5 years, there were 5,354 new cases of dementia and 7,259 strokes among the 398,990 UK Biobank participants in the study.
Investigators in the new study – from the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital and collaborators in the United States and Europe – found that those with a higher BCS had a lower risk of developing dementia or stroke as they aged.
For example, each five-point positive difference in the BCS was associated with a 59 per cent lower risk of developing dementia and a 48 per cent lower risk for experiencing a stroke among adults younger than 50 years old at enrolment.
Similar estimates were found for participants aged 50 to 59 years (32 per cent lower risk of dementia and 52 per cent lower risk of stroke). Estimates for those older than 59 years (eight per cent lower risk of dementia and 33 per cent lower risk of stroke) were lower.
The authors concluded that these lower estimates were because dementia in individuals in this age group can often be more slowly progressive. As a result, early dementia can often be missed until it progresses further.
“We have every reason to believe that improving your BCS over time will substantially reduce your risk of ever having a stroke or developing dementia in the future,” said Jonathan Rosand, co-founder of the McCance Center for Brain Health.
“Patients and practitioners can start focusing on improving their BCS today, and the good news is improving on these elements will also provide overall health benefits.
“The components of the BCS include recommendations found in the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential Eight for cardiovascular health, as well many modifiable risk factors for common cancers. What’s good for the brain is good for the heart and the rest of the body.”
Importantly, the study only evaluated the BCS at a single timepoint in people’s lives. Additional research is needed to determine whether a person can reduce their risk of having a stroke or developing dementia by improving their BCS over time through behaviour changes and lifestyle choices, potentially with the help of clinicians and others who can provide support.
The team is currently conducting studies to see what happens when people raise their BCS by five points or more.
