Age-specific findings on lifestyle and trajectories of cognitive function from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Few longitudinal studies have explored age-related differences in the relationship between lifestyle factors and cognitive decline. This study investigated lifestyle factors at baseline that slow the longitudinal rate of cognitive decline in young-old (55-64 years), middle-old (65-74 years), and old-old (75+ years) individuals.METHODS: We conducted an 11-year follow-up that included 6,189 older adults from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, which is a cohort study of community-dwelling older Koreans. Lifestyle factors, including physical activity, social activity (SA), smoking, and alcohol consumption were assessed at baseline. Cognitive function was measured at 2-year intervals over 11 years. Latent growth modeling and multi-group analysis were performed.RESULTS: The influence of lifestyle factors on the rate of cognitive decline differed by age. Smoking at baseline (-0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.11 to -0.00, per study wave) accelerated cognitive decline in young-old individuals, whereas frequent participation in SA at baseline (0.02; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.03, per study wave) decelerated cognitive decline in middle-old individuals. None of the lifestyle factors in this study decelerated cognitive decline in old-old individuals.CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive strategies based on modifiable lifestyle factors such as smoking cessation in young-old individuals and frequent SA participation in middle-old age individuals may have great potential for preventing cognitive decline. Because the influence of lifestyle factors varied by age group, age-specific approaches are recommended to promote cognitive health.

Association between dietary quality and accelerated aging: a cross-sectional study of two cohorts

“…Previous research has demonstrated the association between unhealthy lifestyles and aging. 34 Furthermore, our study identified a significant interaction between smoking and diet in relation to aging. Among smokers in the NHANES cohort, the risk of accelerated aging decreased as the dietary quality improved, with lower ORs observed in smokers compared to non-smokers.…”

Social activities in multidomain dementia prevention interventions: insights from practice and a blueprint for the future

“…Additionally, engagement in social activities is frequently evaluated alongside the engagement in cognitive activities, such as reading, gaming, puzzling ( 36 , 37 ). Typically, item scores are merged into a single composite score ( 38 , 39 ), which overlooks the separate and distinct influence of social activities. Additionally, a high level of heterogeneity is observed across studies in terms of the thematic content of items, response scales utilized, and the recall periods specified ( 28 ).…”