Healthy Lifestyles Protect Against Dementia, Strokes

recent American study investigated how some lifestyle factors affect rates of depression, dementia, and stroke risk in the elderly. The results showed that healthy lifestyles are associated with lower rates of depression in old age, as well as a lower risk of stroke, dementia, and depression. According to Medical News Today, the study examined data on more than 355,000 people starting at the age of 50, from the records of the British Biobank. It was found that for every 55-point increase in lifestyle measures that care for brain health, the risk of depression decreased by 33 percent in old age. The research team from Massachusetts General Hospital - the main teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School - found that for every 55-point increase in brain healthcare, the risk of developing a composite outcome of stroke, dementia, and depression in late life decreased by 27 percent. Lifestyle factors that provide care for brain health included: nutrition, sleep, and social and emotional factors such as stress levels and relationships. Brain healthcare also included aspects such as: average blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, smoking status, measures of vigorous physical activity, and mental elements such as stress levels. Source: Qatar News Agency