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Association of Modifiable Lifestyle Habits With Gray Matter Volume in Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Japanese Adults
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This 2-year retrospective study using data from the Japanese National Institute for Longevity Sciences, Longitudinal Study of Aging evaluated the association of multiple lifestyle decisions, including diet, exercise, sleep, alcohol consumption, smoking, and social activity such as employment with gray matter loss. Individuals who smoked had increased gray matter loss, whereas those who participated in social activities and ate a diverse diet had decreased gray matter loss.
- This study supports the idea that neurological changes of aging are not necessarily inevitable. Counseling patients on sustaining social relationships and eating a diverse diet can potentially reduce gray matter loss over time.
abstract
This abstract is available on the publisher's site.
Access this abstract now Full Text Available for ClinicalKey SubscribersThe brain controls human behavior, and the gray matter is the main resource of neuronal cells. We examined the longitudinal relationship between six basic lifestyle habits (diet, exercise, sleep, alcohol consumption, smoking, and social activity including employment) and total gray matter volume in community-dwelling adults in Japan. This two-year follow-up study with data derived from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences, Longitudinal Study of Aging, Aichi, Japan, included adults aged 40-87 years (n = 1665, men: 51%). Lifestyle habits were assessed at baseline (2008-2010) using self-reported questionnaires and three-day dietary records. Total gray matter volume at baseline and after two years was estimated using T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging and FreeSurfer software. The association between each lifestyle factor, the total number of healthy lifestyle habits, and gray matter volume change was determined via a multiple linear regression analysis adjusting for baseline age, total gray matter volume, and other confounders. The mean ± standard deviation decrease in total gray matter volume during the two-year follow-up period was 0.94 ± 1.86% in men and 0.61 ± 2.27% in women. In the multiple regression analysis, volume loss in total gray matter positively correlated with male smoking, while it was negatively correlated with male social activity and employment, female dietary diversity, and the total number of healthy lifestyle habits (standardized beta coefficient; -0.061 in men [p = 0.07], -0.113 in women [p < 0.05]). Therefore, engaging in social activities, non-smoking, a diverse diet, or adopting one healthy lifestyle habit may help prevent gray matter volume loss.
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Basic lifestyle habits and volume change in total gray matter among community dwelling middle-aged and older Japanese adults
Prev Med 2022 Aug 01;161(1)107149, R Otsuka, Y Nishita, A Nakamura, T Kato, F Ando, H Shimokata, H AraiFrom MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Brain changes occur 20 to 30 years before the onset of dementia, and with the aging of our population, it is important to initiate mitigation strategies to prevent damage early. This study examined modifiable lifestyle habits (diet, exercise, sleep, alcohol consumption, smoking, and social activity) and gray matter volume in 1665 community-dwelling Japanese individuals aged 40 to 87 years over 2 years.
Gray matter volume was measured using MRI and normalized to total intracranial volume. The analysis was controlled for family history, depression, education, income, living alone, stroke history, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
Social activity, employment, and physical activity in men and dietary diversity in women were protective of gray matter loss. Smoking accelerated the loss in men. However, more men smoked, drank alcohol, and were employed than women.
Although other studies have also shown adverse effects of alcohol consumption, the MIND study showed protective effects from diet, and other studies showed benefit from exercise. This study adds that social activity and employment are protective.
Due to the small number of participants and short duration, some variables that showed a signal may not have reached statistical significance, such as alcohol intake in men. This study may also not apply to the American lifestyle that tends to have less exercise, more smoking and alcohol intake, and a BMI of 26, which is higher than the BMI of 22 in women and 23 in men in this study. Regardless, the evidence is mounting that lifestyle changes protect from heart disease, stroke, cancer, and dementia.