Among older adults aged 80 and over, adhering to a healthier lifestyle may lower the risk of cognitive impairment, despite the presence of the gene APOE or not.
Presented in the journal PLOS Medicine, a Chinese research team reviewed the data of over 6,000 people in late adulthood, who took part in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey.
“The researchers statistically analyzed the data to investigate links between APOE ε4, lifestyle, and cognition. They also accounted for sociodemographics and other factors that could impact cognition,” a news release reads.
As the findings suggest, adhering to a healthier lifestyle may lead to a substantially lower risk of cognitive impairment, despite the presence of the APOE gene among the participants.
The findings arose at a time where research on cognitive health is rampant, particularly on the hunt for effective non-medicinal-based therapeutic interventions.
“In this study, we observed that healthier lifestyle was associated with better cognitive function among the oldest old regardless of APOE genotype. Our findings may inform the cognitive outlook for those oldest old with high genetic risk of cognitive impairment,” the study confirmed.
