A healthy diet and slim waist in middle age may help you avoid dementia

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-03-13 02:00

International

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A healthier diet and lower waist to hip ratio throughout midlife may help you avoid cognitive decline later, according to international scientists. They looked at diet quality in 512 people and waist to hip ratio in 664 people during middle age for whom brain scans and cognitive tests were available at age 70. They found a healthier diet during midlife and middle to older age was linked with better brain connectivity and structure at age 70, while a higher waist to hip ratio in midlife was linked with poorer memory and thinking abilities at age 70. The findings suggest interventions to improve diet and reduce waistline obesity might be most effective between the ages of 48 and 70, the researchers conclude.

Media release

From: JAMA

Association of Diet and Waist-to-Hip Ratio With Brain Connectivity and Memory in Aging

About The Study: This cohort study found that healthier diets and lower waist to hip ratio throughout midlife were associated with better brain and cognitive health in older age. The findings suggest that interventions to improve diet and manage central obesity might be most effective between ages 48 and 70.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Germany

Funder: This work was supported by grant NIHR203316 from the NIHR Oxford Health BRC and grants 203139/Z/16/Z and 203139/A/16/Z from theWellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (core funding from the Wellcome Trust).

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