Dementia, Alzheimer's Not an Inevitable Part of Aging: Study

A six-year Dutch study found dementia and Alzheimer's disease may not be an unavoidable part of aging, reports Connect FM . The researchers looked at centenarians to determine that despite high levels of amyloid beta, they were still cognitively sharp and performed well on cognitive tests, suggesting resilience against memory loss. "A person between 70 and 95 years old is exposed to the same dementia risk as a person who lives between age 100 and 102," said Henne Holstege of Amsterdam University Medical College. The scientists suggested protective factors associated with cognitive performance could include education, frequent cognitive activity, and even IQ, but Lenox Hill Hospital's Gayatri Devi explained that "there could be protective immunologic and cardiovascular risk factors that help keep their brains resilient and cognitively functional even in old age." While the Dutch study reveals insights on aging and cognitive function, it remains a complex phenomenon in need of further investigation. "Dementia and Alzheimer's tend to be multifactorial conditions, meaning that a mix of genetics, age, environment, lifestyle behaviors, and medical conditions that coexist together and can lead a person toward or away from cognitive decline," noted Richard Isaacson at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.