Good Lifestyle

Protecting brain health and cognitive functioning as we age is crucial. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 5.8 million people in the U.S. are living with dementia. With that number only anticipated to increase, many recent studies have been geared towards understanding what causes the condition, as well as what may help prevent it. One such study investigated the relationship between cognitive decline and something you may already have at home. Read on to find out how this one thing could help prevent the development of dementia.

Kaugnay:Skipping This Step in the Bathroom Increases Your Dementia Risk.

Studies have found different foods and drinks that can either increase or mitigate your risk of dementia. One recent study, for example, found that vitamin K has the potential to improve cognitive abilities in aging brains. Different forms of vitamin K are found in leafy green vegetables, fermented foods, some cheeses, meats, and fish—and research suggests getting optimal daily doses may help protect your brain in the long run. Now, yet another study has linked cognitive benefits with something many of us know and love.

You might want to hold your furry friend that much tighter and maybe treat them to an extra chew toy, as findings from a recent study suggest they could actually help slow rates of cognitive decline. Preliminary data were presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) meeting earlier this month, outlining how "sustained relationships with companion animals" could help keep your brain healthy.

"Prior studies have suggested that the human-animal bond may have health benefits like decreasing blood pressure and stress," said study author Tiffany Braley, MD, MS, associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical Center, said in an AAN press release. "Our results suggest pet ownership may also be protective against cognitive decline."

Richard Isaacson, MD, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic in the Center for Brain Health at Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine, echoed this when speaking with CNN about the findings. According to Isaacson, who was not affiliated with the study, owning a pet or multiple pets integrates "core components of a brain-healthy lifestyle."

"Cognitive engagement, socialization, physical activity, and having a sense of purpose can separately, or even more so in combination, address key modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease dementia," he told CNN.

The study looked at the cognitive data from 1,369 adults over the age of 50 from a University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study. The participants had an average age of 65 years and normal cognitive skills when the study began. Over half of the participants (53 percent) owned pets, and of those, 32 percent were long-time pet owners (those who owned pets for over five years).

Over the course of six years, between 2010 and 2016, these participants were given cognitive tests, including a word recall, a subtraction test, and a "backwards count" test. Results helped researchers develop a composite cognitive score for each participant, ranging from one to 27, which was then used to estimate associations between years of pet ownership and cognitive function, the AAN press release said.

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Researchers found that pet owners' cognitive composite scores decreased at a slower rate when compared with non-pet owners. These results were stronger for long-term pet owners, whose average scores were 1.2 points higher than non-pet owners at the six-year mark, the AAN press release stated.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB.

Demographics seemed to come into play, as pet owners generally had higher socioeconomic status when compared with non-pet owners. Researchers also found that college-educated adults, Black adults, and men who were long-term pet owners had even more prominent cognitive benefits.

Sa isang email sa CNN, ang unang may-akda na si Jennifer Applebaum, Sociology Doctoral Candidate at National Institutes of Health (NIH) predoctoral fellow sa University of Florida, ay kinilala ang mga demograpiko bilang isang lugar para sa karagdagang pagsisiyasat, dahil ang pananaliksik ay dati nang nakatuon sa mga puting kababaihan (ang Ang pag-aaral mismo ay binubuo ng mga puting kalahok).

"Kami ay kulang ng sapat na impormasyon tungkol sa mga lalaki (at iba pang kasarian) at mga taong may kulay, lalo na ang mga may-ari ng itim na alagang hayop," sinabi ni Applebaum sa CNN.

Habang hindi maaaring sabihin ng mga mananaliksikbakit Ang pang-matagalang pagmamay-ari ng alagang hayop ay ang pinakamahusay na epekto, ayon kay Braley, ang pagkakaroon ng alagang hayop ay maaaring makatulong sa pagaanin ang stress at panatilihin kang gumagalaw-parehong mga tulong sa pagpapanatiling malusog ang iyong utak.

"Tulad ng stress ay maaaring negatibong nakakaapekto sa cognitive function, ang mga potensyal na stress-buffering effect ng pagmamay-ari ng alagang hayop ay maaaring magbigay ng isang makatwirang dahilan para sa aming mga natuklasan," sabi ni Braley sa press release ng AAN. "Ang isang kasamang hayop ay maaari ring mapataas ang pisikal na aktibidad, na maaaring makinabang sa kalusugan ng kognitibo."

Ang mga resulta ay naghihikayat, ngunit ang pag-aaral ay hindi walang limitasyon. Tulad ng haba ng pagmamay-ari ng alagang hayop ay tinasa lamang sa isang punto sa oras, ito ay inalis ang kakayahan para sa mga mananaliksik upang masuri ang patuloy na pagmamay-ari ng alagang hayop. Ang mga mananaliksik ay hindi inirerekomenda ang pagmamay-ari ng isang alagang hayop "bilang isang therapeutic interbensyon," kung minsan ang pagmamay-ari ng alagang hayop ay maaaring aktwal na humantong sa mas mataas na mga rate ng depression, sinabi ni Applebaum sa CNN. Sa katunayan, sa kasalukuyang pag-aaral, ang mga may-ari ng alagang hayop ay may mas mababang pagkalat ng hypertension, ngunit isang mas mataas na rate ng depression.

Kinakailangan ang karagdagang pananaliksik upang kumpirmahin ang pinakabagong mga natuklasan, at "kilalanin ang mga mekanismo para sa kapisanan na ito," sabi ni Braley.

Kaugnay:Ang karaniwang gamot na ito ay maaaring masaktan ang iyong utak, sabi ng bagong pag-aaral.