A recent study shows that both unhealthy eating habits and the consequences of a lack of exercisecan increase the risk of dementia. The reason for this is that such risk factors negatively influence the neurogenesis of the hippocampus and the formation of new brain cells. In addition, the study results show that altered neurogenesis in the brain could potentially represent an early biomarker for Alzheimer's disease.
Signs of dementia as a result of lack of exercise and nutrient deficiencies
The research team examined how the blood of participants with and without dementia might influence hippocampal neurogenesis in the laboratory and whether diet and exercise were important factors. The study authors collected information about each subject's sociodemographic and clinical data and lifestyle every two to three years over a 12-year period. In this way they wanted to measure the incidence of dementia. During the study, researchers found that the diagnosis of Alzheimer's is linked to the death of neural stem cells. Additionally, exercise, diet, vitamin D levels, carotenoid and lipid levels were all linked to the rate of cell death. Specifically, the scientists found that both reduced physical activity and increased malnutrition increased cell death. This study sheds further light on these key factors in the context of a human model.
The study results show that there is a degree of specificity regarding the diagnosis of dementia. If an individual shows an increase in cell death during differentiation, medical professionals may consider this a potential warning sign of such a disease. This is the process by which a single cell divides into a pair. Reduced integrity of hippocampal progenitor cells could be viewed as a predictor of Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia. According to current information, health authorities expect the rate of cognitive disorders to triple by 2040. Although undoubtedly more work is needed to fully understand how diet and the consequences of sedentary behavior might modulate hippocampal neurogenesisthis studyenable an effective early preventive strategy against dementia.
