July 26, 2019
Past research has shown that the likelihood of developing dementia is affected by both genetics and lifestyle. No research had been able to show, however, just how much a healthy lifestyle is able to offset the genetic risk of developing dementia.
University of Exeter researchers may now have an answer though. They looked at the DNA and lifestyle information of almost 200,000 trial participants who were over 60 years of age, of European descent, and did not have dementia when the trial began.
Participants were divided into groups that represented those at lowest, intermediate, and highest risk of developing dementia based on their genetics. Their lifestyle was also assessed, and participants were then grouped by either favorable, intermediate or unfavorable lifestyles.
At the end of the study, the researchers were able to show that those with favorable lifestyles were at lower risk of developing dementia, regardless of their genetic risk levels. This is the first study of its kind and shows that the actions we take in our everyday life and reduce our chance of developing dementia regardless of our DNA.
Source: Medical News Today
Read more: http://ow.ly/m1eJ50v65bD
