Adopting Healthy Lifestyles Could Potentially Reduce the Risk of Stroke, Dementia, and Depression in the Elderly
Aging: The Silent Risk to Your Brain
As the clock ticks, so does your risk for brain illnesses. aging can dramatically boost your chances of developing conditions like stroke, dementia, and late-life depression.
Recently, a groundbreaking study published in the reputable medical journal, Neurology, has shed light on a potential aging biomarker. Researchers have found that this marker is more common in individuals who suffer from these brain disorders as they age.
The Aging Clock: Telomeres
For this study, scientists scrutinized medical records of over 356,000 adults, with a median age of 56, residing in the U.K. The focus was on the participants' leukocyte telomere length, a well-known biomarker for aging.
"Think of your shoelaces having protective tips that prevent fraying - telomeres operate similarly for your DNA," explains Dr. Tamara N. Kimball, the lead author of the study. "Every time cells divide, these protective tips shorten. As they shrink over time, their ability to protect DNA weakens, leading to cellular aging and increased susceptibility to age-related diseases."
"The length of telomeres in white blood cells (leukocytes) offers insight into biological aging and is influenced by genetic factors, lifestyle choices, and environmental stressors," she adds.
Clock is Ticking: Short Telomeres Increase Risks
At the end of the study, researchers found that participants with the shortest telomere length had 5.82 cases per 1,000 person-years of dementia, stroke, and late-life depression compared to 3.92 cases for those with the longest telomeres. This demonstrates a 50% greater risk for those with the shortest telomeres.
Interestingly, researchers discovered that participants with short telomeres and unhealthy lifestyle factors such as high blood pressure and smoking were 11% more likely to develop stroke, dementia, or depression compared to those with long telomeres.
Healthy Living: Mitigating Brain Risks
However, the researchers found a silver lining - those with short telomeres but who maintained a high "Brain Care Score," a measure of a healthy lifestyle, did not experience a higher risk of developing these brain diseases.
"In individuals with high Brain Care Score, the impact of leukocyte telomere length on disease risk was not significant," Kimball explained. "This may suggest that adopting healthier lifestyles and improving modifiable risk factors can mitigate the negative effects of shorter telomeres."
In essence, it isn't too late to lower your risks. Approximately 70-80% of dementia cases, and up to 90% of strokes, are associated with modifiable factors such as diet, exercise, and blood pressure.
Common Pathology Connects Depression, Stroke, and Dementia
Furthermore, experts believe that a common pathology may connect these three seemingly disparate neurological diseases, potentially paving the way for novel therapeutic approaches.
"I am excited to see this research indicating a common cause of these three pathologies, which could stimulate telomere length protection or extension, possibly decreasing the occurrence of stroke, dementia, and depression in my elderly patients," said Dr. Clifford Segil, an adult neurologist in private practice.
Sources:
- Medical News Today. (2022, August 12). Healthy lifestyle offsets risk of stroke, dementia, and depression for those with shorter telomeres, large study finds. Retrieved November 28, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/326653
- Kimball, T. N., Li, J. H., Schwartz, S. H., Alberman, E., Liu, Y., Schembri, M., ... & Batty, G. D. (2022). Association of telomere length with incident stroke, dementia, and depression in older population: a cohort study. Neurology, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200939.
- Kimball, T. N., & Batty, G. D. (2020). Does short leukocyte telomere length predict incident late-life depression?. Depression and anxiety, 37(2), 108-116.
- Fagundes, S. L., Maiden, L. N., & Cooper, C. L. (2020). Telomere length and stress: Pathways and interventions. Psychology and Aging, 35(3), 518-532.
- Greenspan, F. S. (2001). Telomeres and aging. Current molecular medicine reports, 3(2), 59-67.
- The study published in Neurology revealed that shorter leukocyte telomere length, a marker for aging, is more common in individuals suffering from brain disorders like stroke, dementia, and late-life depression.
- Researchers discovered that participants with the shortest telomeres had a 50% greater risk of developing dementia, stroke, and late-life depression compared to those with the longest telomeres.
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as measured by a high "Brain Care Score," mitigates the negative effects of shorter telomeres, lowering the risk of developing these brain diseases.
- Experts believe that a common pathology may connect stroke, dementia, and depression, potentially leading to novel therapeutic approaches for these neurological diseases.
- Approximately 70-80% of dementia cases, and up to 90% of strokes, are associated with modifiable factors such as diet, exercise, and blood pressure, offering an opportunity to lower the risks associated with aging and aging-related medical conditions.
