{"id":546026,"date":"2026-06-21T01:18:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T01:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/546026\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T01:18:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T01:18:54","slug":"everyday-habit-changes-lowers-dementia-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/546026\/","title":{"rendered":"Everyday Habit Changes Lowers Dementia Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Summary: <\/strong>A new report reveals a critical public health gap: while nearly all Michiganders age 50 and older state that maintaining brain health is highly important to them, fewer than half (47%) understand that everyday lifestyle modifications can actively reduce their future risk of dementia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey, administered in January 2026, tracked data from 1,293 Michigan adults alongside a national comparison group. It found that half or fewer of the respondents actually practice key protective habits, such as adequate sleep, physical exercise, or healthy eating, on a daily basis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Intention-Knowledge Gap:<\/strong> While nearly all older adults prioritize brain health, only 47% know that targeted, everyday lifestyle adjustments can directly mitigate future dementia risks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Low Practice of Brain-Protective Habits:<\/strong> Only 36% of older Michiganders engage in daily physical activity, 40% maintain a balanced diet, 48% do mentally stimulating tasks, and 54% consistently achieve seven or more hours of sleep.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Michigan Lags Nationally:<\/strong> Only 70% of older adults in Michigan view lifestyle behaviors as very important to brain preservation, compared to 76% of their peers residing in other states.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Missing Clinical Conversation:<\/strong> Despite high resident interest in learning about cognitive health from professionals, only 23% of respondents have ever discussed brain health with their healthcare provider.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Burden of Cognitive Decline:<\/strong> Approximately 11% of individuals over age 65 in Michigan live with Alzheimer\u2019s disease or related dementias, supported by over 680 million hours of unpaid care annually from family and friends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong>University of Michigan<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Nearly all Michiganders age 50 and over say it\u2019s very important to keep their brains healthy as they grow older, a new poll finds.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But less than half (47%) of middle-aged and older Michiganders know that everyday actions can be very important for reducing their future risk of dementia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And half or less practice at least one of four key habits daily or most days that can protect their brain health as they age.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The poll findings come at a time when research clearly shows connections between dementia risk and lifestyle factors such as what people eat and drink; how much sleep, social interaction, and mental and physical activity they get; and how well they manage their cholesterol, weight and hearing loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The data come from the\u00a0Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging,\u00a0based at the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. A\u00a0full poll report\u00a0and\u00a0interactive data dashboard\u00a0are available.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michigan\u00a0adults aged 50 and over were less likely than their\u00a0national\u00a0counterparts\u00a0to believe\u00a0that lifestyle factors are\u00a0very important\u00a0in\u00a0maintaining\u00a0brain health. In all, 70% of them said so, compared with 76% of people in the same age range in other states.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The poll also finds\u00a0regional\u00a0differences within Michigan. People aged 50 and over in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula were less likely to believe that healthy lifestyle behaviors are very important for reducing dementia risk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGreater public education regarding brain health, building on efforts like the Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s\u00a010 Healthy Habits for Your Brain initiative, could go a long way in encouraging\u00a0middle-to-older age adults\u00a0in Michigan\u00a0to develop healthy habits that reduce their risk of cognitive decline,\u201d said Scott Roberts, Ph.D., Associate Director of the National Poll on Healthy Aging\u00a0and a Professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the same time, it\u2019s also important to educate older adults to be wary of \u2018too good to be true\u2019 products such as nutritional supplements now\u00a0being marketed\u00a0to preserve brain health,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roberts and the rest of the poll team worked with the\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u00a0to collect and analyze data for the\u00a0organization\u2019s\u00a0recent national report\u00a0on brain health in America. That national survey, which assessed knowledge of brain-protecting activities among people age 40 and up, informed the annual update of the organization\u2019s influential\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Facts and Figures\u00a0report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Michigan-specific poll surveyed people age 50 and up, the focus population for the ongoing Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging funded by the\u00a0Michigan Health Endowment Fund\u00a0and\u00a0Michigan Medicine, U-M\u2019s academic medical center.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roberts will discuss the findings at a\u00a0June 30 webinar\u00a0presented by the Michigan Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Center. Participation is free but registration is required.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key lifestyle factors for brain health<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey listed 15 health and lifestyle factors commonly associated with lower dementia risk, and asked respondents to rate how important each is in maintaining brain health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The percentage of older adults rating each one as very important to brain health varied widely:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>80% for preventing head injury<\/li>\n<li>71% for managing stress, not smoking and treating depression<\/li>\n<li>70% for controlling blood pressure<\/li>\n<li>58% for limiting alcohol<\/li>\n<li>57% for maintaining a healthy weight<\/li>\n<li>54% for managing cholesterol<\/li>\n<li>53% for addressing hearing loss<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey also asked Michiganders 50 and over how often they do activities known to help preserve brain function. The percentage who reported they do these activities daily or on most days of the week:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Get 7 or more hours of sleep: 54%<\/li>\n<li>Do mentally stimulating activities: 48%<\/li>\n<li>Eat a healthy balanced diet: 40%<\/li>\n<li>Get some form of daily physical activity, including walking or stretching: 36%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each of these factors were rated as very important to brain health by 61% to 68% of all respondents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roberts recently presented the findings at a summit of the\u00a0Michigan Dementia Coalition, a statewide organization that brings together academic, government, nonprofit, caregiver and patient representatives. Roberts is the Outreach, Recruitment &amp; Engagement Core Lead at the\u00a0Michigan Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Center.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s Michigan chapter,\u00a011% of people over 65 in Michigan have Alzheimer\u2019s disease\u00a0or another form of dementia. Their family and friends provide more than 680 million hours of unpaid care for them every year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The role of healthcare professionals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Preventing dementia, or delaying it as long as possible, through lifestyle changes in midlife and earlier, is crucial, said poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the U-M Medical School and a primary care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHealthcare providers across our state, and our nation, could do much more to help our patients understand the link between the lifestyle choices they make today and their future brain health,\u201d he said. \u201cOur state\u2019s adult population has high rates of risk factors for dementia, and we need to work together to address them at every age.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most older Michiganders said they would want to learn more about brain health from their healthcare provider.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But these conversations aren\u2019t common: just 23% had discussed the topic with their provider. Among Michiganders age 65 and over, 30% have had a cognitive screening test in the past year, which can help identify early stages of dementia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While universal cognitive screening for all people over age 65 has not been recommended by all national organizations, simple cognitive testing can be done as part of a regular checkup, especially if someone is concerned about their memory or thinking ability, or a loved one has expressed concern.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New prescription medications designed to slow decline in the early stages of cognitive impairment have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in recent years. So have blood tests for biomarkers of Alzheimer\u2019s disease (e.g., amyloid, tau) that can help aid in diagnosis and early detection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, there is no cure for dementia at any stage, making prevention crucial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging includes data from 1,293 Michigan adults age 50 to 93 from the\u00a0NORC\u00a0AmeriSpeak\u00a0panel\u00a0and supplemental non-probability panel participants,\u00a0who\u00a0were compared\u00a0to 2,808\u00a0non-Michigan adults age 50 to 98.\u00a0The survey was administered online and via phone\u00a0in January 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Key Questions Answered:<strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: Why is there such a massive gap between wanting a healthy brain and practicing the habits that protect it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A: The gap largely stems from a lack of awareness. The poll shows that less than half of older adults realize their daily actions directly influence their long-term dementia risk. Because many assume cognitive decline is entirely genetic or inevitable, they do not intentionally align their daily routines, like diet and exercise, with brain protection.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: What role should primary care doctors play in closing this awareness gap?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A: Doctors are a missing link in dementia prevention. While most older adults express a strong desire to learn about brain health from their providers, only 23% have actually had that conversation. Routine checkups offer an ideal, underutilized window for clinicians to counsel patients on how managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and physical activity actively shields the brain from cognitive decline.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: Are commercial brain supplements a viable solution for older adults looking to protect their memory?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A: No. University of Michigan experts explicitly warn older adults to be highly wary of \u201ctoo good to be true\u201d nutritional supplements marketed for brain preservation. There is no strong medical evidence that these products prevent cognitive decline. Instead, public health resources are better spent on verified lifestyle habits, such as regular physical activity, social interaction, and proper cardiovascular management.<\/p>\n<p>Editorial Notes:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\" class=\"wp-block-list has-background\">\n<li>This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.<\/li>\n<li>Journal paper reviewed in full.<\/li>\n<li>Additional context added by our staff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>About this brain health and aging research news<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Author:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utoronto.ca\/news\/authors-reporters\/don-campbell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/nathalie-andre-2607569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><a href=\"http:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#2f444a484e5946416f5a42464c47014a4b5a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Kara Gavin<\/a><br \/><strong>Source:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/umich.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">University of Michigan<\/a><br \/><strong>Contact:\u00a0<\/strong>Kara Gavin \u2013 University of Michigan<br \/><strong>Image:\u00a0<\/strong>The image is credited to Neuroscience News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary: A new report reveals a critical public health gap: while nearly all Michiganders age 50 and older&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[78],"tags":[2429,18167,13317,1277,868,18,135,19,17,1280,3267,1281,1406],"class_list":["post-546026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-aging","tag-brain-aging","tag-brain-health","tag-brain-research","tag-dementia","tag-eire","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-neurobiology","tag-neurology","tag-neuroscience","tag-university-of-michigan"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116785470953418634","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}