- Everyone has both a chronological age and a biological age.
- Past studies show that a person’s biological age can affect their risk for certain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
- A new study further affirms what we know by reporting that people with a biological age higher than their chronological age are at a higher risk of developing dementia compared to those whose biological age is the same or lower than their chronological age.
While everyone has a chronological age based on the day they were born, we also all have a biological age. A person’s biological age is determined by a person’s overall health and how well they are aging. Sometimes a person’s biological age may be “older” or “younger” than their chronological age.
Past studies show that a person’s biological age can affect their risk for certain diseases, including
Now, a new study recently published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, further affirms what we know by reporting that people who have a biological age higher than their chronological age are at a higher risk of developing dementia compared to those where their biological age is the same or lower than their chronological age.
For this study, researchers analyzed UK Biobank health data for more than 280,000 participants with an average age of about 57. At the time their health data was first collected, all participants did not have a dementia diagnosis. Study participants were followed for an average of 14 years.
Scientists calculated the biological age of each participant using a variety of different
After dividing study participants into four groups based on their biological age, researchers found that study participants with the most advanced biological age were about 30% more likely to develop dementia than those in the lowest biological age group.
“With the rising impact of dementia around the world, identifying risk factors and implementing preventive measures is essential,” Yacong Bo, PhD, professor in the Department of Nutrition in the College of Public Health at Zhengzhou University in China and corresponding author of this study says in a press release. “While none of us can change our chronological age, we can influence our biological age through lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise.”
Additionally, researchers reported that participants with advanced biological age also had changes in their brain that are associated with dementia, including loss of gray matter volume.
Previous studies have linked gray matter volume loss with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
“These brain structure changes explain some, but not all, of the association between advanced biological age and dementia,” Bo says. “These results support the hypothesis that advanced biological age may contribute to the development of dementia by causing a widespread change in brain structures.”
Medical News Today had the opportunity to speak with Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, about this study.
Because biological age reflects a wide variety of inputs — including biomarkers such as blood pressure and various blood chemistry values — Chen said these results highlight the likely multifactorial causes behind the development of dementia.
“To help improve overall health and potentially reduce the risk of developing dementia, we recommend that people engage in regular physical activity, eat a healthy balanced diet, get an adequate amount of quality sleep, maintain a healthy weight, avoid tobacco and alcohol, reduce their stress, maintain strong social connections, and control their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers,” he continued.
“These results should drive further public health efforts to screen for and intervene on dementia risk factors in the community,” he added.
MNT also spoke with Rehan Aziz, MD, (he/him) geriatric psychiatrist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this research, who commented that this study confirmed what many medical professionals have thought regarding dementia risk.
“The research demonstrates that an advanced biological age, which can be influenced by factors like blood pressure, cholesterol, lung function, and overall metabolism, correlates with an increased risk of developing dementia,” Aziz explained. “As a physician, this reinforces the critical importance of preventive Healthcare strategies, adherence to medical treatments, and may be another motivating factor for people to attend to Health maintenance in later life.”
To help potentially lower biological age and improve overall health, Aziz also emphasized regular exercise, management of sleep and mental health concerns, elimination of modifiable risk factors, and eating a balanced diet.
“A nutritious diet rich in fruits, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help control cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, and lower blood pressure. My recommended diets are the Mediterranean diet or the MIND diet.”
— Rehan Aziz, MD
Aziz also stressed the importance of regular doctor’s appointments for lowering a person’s biological age.
“Attending to preventative and general health, as well as addressing biomarkers associated with biological aging, including abnormal blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels, is also essential for management of accelerated aging,” he explained.
“The next steps I’d like to see include conducting longitudinal studies to examine whether specific interventions targeted at reducing biological age (like targeted diet, exercise, or medications) can actually decrease the incidence of dementia and actually improve biological age scores,” Aziz continued. “The development of standardized clinical tools for easy measurement of biological age in routine medical practice could also help to enable real-time clinical discussions and tailored patient recommendations.”
