A geriatrician named 8 rules to help keep your mind clear for as long as possible

geriatrician, professor, director of the Gerontology Research Center and expert of the Dementia social project

“The term “cognitive health” itself is not yet widespread in our country. Everyone already knows and is used to talking about mental (mental) health (and, by the way, it is often confused with cognitive health), but we rarely remember about the part of our body that is responsible for the ability to think clearly, learn, memorize and remember – the brain.

And for nothing: everyone wants to live as long as possible, but, agree, hardly a life when you do not recognize your loved ones and do not remember what you did yesterday – the longevity to which we aspire. The main “enemy” of cognitive health is dementia.

What we’ll tell you about

What is dementia

Dementia is not a disease, as is commonly thought, but a syndrome that accompanies a number of diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, frontal temporal dementia, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease and some others). It manifests itself by the decline of cognitive functions – the ability to think, reason, memorize, build cause-and-effect relationships.

Symptoms of dementia include:

• memory lapses;
• disorientation when walking or driving a car;
• disorientation, even in familiar surroundings;
• loss of timekeeping;
• difficulty solving problems or making decisions;
• impaired ability to follow a conversation or difficulty selecting words;
• difficulty performing familiar tasks;
• problems with visual estimation of distance to objects;
• anxiety;
• personality changes.

It has not yet been learned to cure a person completely, but modern technology ensures that its development is slowed down. However, it is possible to influence some risk factors for the development of dementia. According to a report published in The Lancet in 2020, 40% of cases of the syndrome are provoked by risk factors that can be called modifiable – that is, we can influence them. Which means potentially preventing or delaying the development of impairment.

Factors in the development of cognitive impairment

These include: high blood pressure, obesity, low physical activity, diabetes, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, social isolation, lack of education, poor environmental culture, head injuries, sensory deficits (reduced vision and hearing), depression, failure to adhere to a calendar of physical exams and immunizations, and sleep disorders.

Professional sports also influence the development of dementia. For example, a 2021 study showed that professional soccer players who play defense are five times more likely to have such disorders than other people.

Ways to keep your brain healthy

Managing these factors, minimizing them, helps reduce the likelihood of developing dementia. By and large, I would identify six main steps to prevent cognitive impairment:

1. Continuous learning. The more new knowledge we acquire, the greater our cognitive reserve becomes, which will help us to “hold on” as long as possible in front of structural disorders in the brain, postpone the manifestation of dementia symptoms to a later date and reduce their severity.

2. Nutrition. The Mediterranean diet is considered the most beneficial for brain health – because of the increased consumption of leafy greens and the reduction of saturated fats and meat in the diet.

3. Physical activity. During physical activity, exerkins are produced – biological compounds that help reduce the chronic low-intensity inflammation that occurs in the body during a number of diseases – arterial hypertension, obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes. In addition, physical activity improves blood flow directly to the brain.

4. Identification and correction of basic deviations in the state of health. It is necessary to monitor “basic” health indicators: blood pressure, sugar level, cholesterol, body mass index and, in case of exceeding the norm, to correct them.

By the way, we can also include correction of vision and hearing loss, which leads to sensory deprivation – when we receive less “data” from the outside, part of the brain centers “fall out” of the usual work, which gradually develops structural changes in the brain and, as a consequence, cognitive impairment. Therefore, a hearing aid is a mandatory measure for hearing loss, which not only improves the quality of life, but also prevents dementia.

5. Abandonment of bad habits. Smoking and alcohol consumption are not just modifiable risk factors, but the very first “to eliminate”.

6. Observance of a sleep regimen. During sleep, the body recovers. Without it, it is not worth expecting the correct “work” of the body. Regular lack of night rest, especially at age 50+, increases the risk of dementia by 30% compared to normal sleep duration.

7. Brain injury prevention. This applies to athletes as well as drivers, construction workers and other dangerous occupations.

8. Environmental Culture. This includes planning life and recreation in an environmentally favorable environment, environmental activism, ensuring cleanliness at home, in the entrance, in the yard, at the workplace.

It is important to remember that when preventing cognitive disease, there is no “starting point” when it should begin. Prevention is a lifelong endeavor, and the earlier you start, the better.