This article is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning.If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can subscribe by Please click here.

Parminder Raina realized how important this activity is in preventing and preventing dementia, so she intensified her training.

Raina currently goes to the gym five times a week for strength training as well as aerobic exercise such as running and cycling.

Raina, scientific director of the McMaster Institute on Aging at McMaster University in Hamilton, works to understand why some people age healthily and others don’t.

“I’ve become more cautious in my own actions,” said Raina, who is in her early 60s.

Researchers believe it’s better nutrition, physical activity and socializing that can improve heart health also tend to improve brain health, which may at least delay dementia. Previous research suggests that heart conditions can cause changes in the brain that may increase your risk of: stroke and dementia.

To understand why heart health can reduce the challenges of aging, including promoting brain health, Raina and his colleagues are investigating this issue from multiple perspectives.

Raina will also take the lead. Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) is a large-scale, long-term research project involving approximately 50,000 people between the ages of 45 and 85 at recruitment.

The team of researchers will follow the subjects for at least 20 years, taking regular questionnaires on health, finances, social aspects, lifestyle, medications, health status, etc. nutrition.

Researchers will also investigate whether providing people with better nutrition information can help motivate them to improve their eating habits.

Some participants come for appointments every few years to have their blood pressure, lung function, bone density and other metrics measured.

Doctors say dementia is not a normal part of aging

Dementia is a general term for symptoms that affect brain function, including declines in memory, planning, and language, as well as physical and mood changes.Dementia is not a normal disease agingdoctors say, and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type.

When it comes to dementia, the CLSA study will help update Canada’s estimates of how common dementia is. In 2020, approximately 477,000 Canadians over the age of 65 were living with dementia. Canada’s Chronic Disease Surveillance System.

Recent longitudinal studies based on UK Biobank More than 356,000 participants aged 40 to 69 in England and Scotland looked at a wide range of risk factors for early-onset dementia and other chronic diseases that develop before the age of 65.

Biobank researchers have found associations between a variety of conditions, including: strokeincreased risk of diabetes, heart disease, depression, and early-onset dementia.

Dr. Roger Wong, a clinical professor of geriatric medicine at the University of British Columbia, works with people with long-standing illnesses. like dementia.

“What I want to tell people and their loved ones is that what’s good for your body is good for your brain,” Wong said.

“Regardless of age, there is something each of us can do.” prevent dementia. ”

take a combined approach

Mr. Wong pointed out the recent CLSA research Research by Raina’s team at McMaster has found a close relationship between physical mobility impairments, such as difficulty walking, and poor brain health, including dementia, and vice versa. It turned out that there is a close relationship between.

Researchers are using traditional tests such as timed walking and grip strength to assess how the disorder is related to brain health.

Some CLSA participants wear wearable devices such as accelerometers to track their steps. Scientists hope that objective measurements will help further clarify the link between walking and dementia risk.

For now, Wong suggests taking a multidisciplinary approach to preventing or forestalling dementia. Exercise in a group environment and be able to socialize at the same time. Consider dancing and playing. pickleball This is because there is a strong signal from observational studies such as CLSA and UK Biobank.

See | Traumatic brain injury is a risk factor for dementia:

Another fight?Boxer lends brain to head injury research

After years of training, sparring, and competing, top-ranked boxer Claire Hafner is about to discover the impact the ring has on her brain health. She is participating in a groundbreaking study of active athletes that aims to better understand head injury risks and help athletes decide when it’s time to quit.

Dr. Marie Piger, an endocrinologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, treats adults with diabetes. She agrees with Wong about the importance of long-term observational studies.

Pijar is an assistant professor at McMaster University School of Medicine. received a grant We recently received research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to study potential markers in the blood. The goal is to better understand the relationship between lifestyle, specific fat deposits, and cognition.

Piger and her team are using questionnaires to assess participants’ cognition, as well as blood tests and advanced MRI scans to look for early changes in small blood vessels and track the effects of blood flow in the heart and brain. Masu.

“This little [blood] Blood vessel abnormalities can change how the heart contracts and can also affect increased blood flow in the brain. ”

Is there enough oxygen?

Some people have no symptoms of dementia, but tests may show that parts of the heart or brain are not getting the amount of oxygen they need. Pidger’s research found that these early abnormalities can be traced to fat deposits around internal organs, known as visceral fat.

scientists have discovered Visceral fat It is more active than leg and butt fat in increasing the inflammation that causes diabetes and coronary artery disease.that’s why apple shaped body It is believed that having a pear-shaped body is more detrimental to your health.

Given that about a third of the population does not exercise, Raina said a lack of physical activity raises concerns about the risk of dementia and other health problems associated with aging.

See | Family adapting to dementia:

Coping with father’s dementia: A family’s journey

Research from the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada predicts that the number of people living with dementia in Canada will triple within 30 years. We follow one family as they continue this journey for several years as they prepare to transition from home care to long-term care.

of Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines It is recommended that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week. This may only take him 10 minutes. interval.

“Walking and doing some movement is good for your health in many ways, but I think we need to accept that it’s not an all-or-nothing phenomenon,” Raina said. .

Once she started receiving data from CLSA, Raina said she was motivated to pursue a healthier lifestyle despite the challenges.

“I started eating better,” Raina said. “Researchers often neglect to take care of themselves like other medical professionals, so I try to sleep better. I have had to work so much that I sleep 4 to 5 times a night. I slept for hours.”