Are people who call themselves 'forever twenty' less likely to become senile? How your mindset toward 'aging' could halve your dementia risk
"Dementia is genetic, so it can't be helped."
There are many people who think this way.
It is true that the greatest known genetic risk for dementia is the APOE ε4 gene.
It is known that people who carry this gene are more prone to developing dementia.
However, in reality, more than half of the people who carry the APOE ε4 gene do not develop dementia.
So, what is the difference?
An interesting study published in the medical journal 'PLoS ONE' in 2018 suggested one answer: 'Age Beliefs'.
Levy BR, Slade MD, Pietrzak RH, Ferrucci L.
Positive age beliefs protect against dementia even among elders with high-risk gene.
PLoS One. 2018;13(2):e0191004.
Followed approximately 4,700 people for 4 years
In this study, 4,765 people aged 60 and over in the United States were followed for four years.
None of the participants had dementia at the start of the study.
The researchers divided them into:
people who view aging positively
people who view aging negatively
and compared the rates at which they subsequently developed dementia.
The results were surprising
People who view aging positively,
the risk of developing dementia was about 44% lower.
What is even more surprising is that even when analyzing only those who carry the APOE ε4 gene, which is a risk factor for dementia,
the risk of developing dementia was about 50% lower.
In other words,
your fate is not determined by your genes alone
was the result.
Does thinking 'aging is the end' affect the brain?
Researchers suggest that the background to this may involve
chronic stress
ageism
a decline in self-efficacy
.
Conversely,
'I can still grow even as I age'
'I still have a role to play even in old age'
Such positive thinking reduces stress, which may in turn protect the brain.
Important implications for Japanese society
In Japan,
'I'm too old for that'
'The elderly can't do anything'
We hear this phrase on a daily basis.
However, such words themselves may become the elderly's own perception, potentially having a negative impact on their health.
Of course, this study alone does not completely prove a causal relationship.
Even so,
'How one perceives aging'
is a psychological and social factor that has significant implications for potentially influencing serious diseases like dementia.
Thoughts as a medical professional
When it comes to dementia prevention,
exercise
diet
blood pressure management
quitting smoking
and other physical aspects are the only things that get attention.
Of course, those are extremely important.
However, this study suggests one more thing:
how society views the elderly and how the elderly themselves accept aging
might also be part of dementia prevention.
It may be that not only medicine, but also how we interact with people and our social values are forms of 'dementia prevention'.
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