Press release from the University of Leipzig
The way we live helps determine how our brains age – and this happens much earlier than previously thought. A new study by the Faculty of Medicine at Leipzig University shows that an established dementia risk index is already linked to differences in cognitive performance in young adults aged 20 to 39. Until now, the index was primarily used for risk assessment in middle and older adulthood. The findings have recently been published in the journal ‘Alzheimer’s & Dementia’.
Currently, around 1.8 million people in Germany are living with dementia. For this study, the research team used data from the Germany-wide, population-based NAKO health study, which involved just under 150,000 participants aged between 20 and 75. A LIBRA score was calculated for each person based on health and lifestyle factors – such as smoking, physical activity, depression or cardiovascular disease. The results are clear: higher LIBRA scores, i.e. a higher risk of dementia, were associated with poorer cognitive function across all age groups.
The correlations between risk factors and cognitive performance were then analysed. The Lifestyle for Brain Health (LIBRA) index is an established scientific tool for assessing the risk of dementia. Particularly striking in the current study: younger adults were more likely to exhibit behavioural and psychosocial risk factors such as smoking, lack of exercise and depressive symptoms. In older people, cardiovascular risks such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and elevated cholesterol levels predominated. “It is clear that the nature of risk factors for dementia changes over the course of a lifetime. Risk reduction should not begin at the age of 40 or 60, but should start as early as young adulthood,” emphasises Professor Steffi G. Riedel-Heller, Director of the Institute for Social Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Public Health (ISAP). “If we focus on lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet and mental health early on, we can probably do a great deal to promote brain health in old age.”
The study also reveals clear social disparities: individuals with lower socioeconomic status had, on the whole, less favourable LIBRA scores. Differences were also observed between women and men: on average, men had higher modifiable dementia risk factors (LIBRA scores) than women. Negative associations between LIBRA and cognitive performance were particularly pronounced among women with lower socioeconomic status. The results suggest that certain groups may face multiple disadvantages over the course of their lives. Researcher Felix Wittmann: “Our findings clearly show that the risk of dementia is not solely linked to individual factors. If we do not pay closer attention to social inequalities, we as a society run the risk that the most vulnerable groups will benefit least from important risk-reduction measures.”
From a scientific perspective, the study fills a gap: until now, the LIBRA index has only been thoroughly studied in people aged 40 and over. The fact that it is also meaningful for 20- to 39-year-olds shows that established dementia risk models can be applied to younger age groups and that research should focus more closely on the entire life course.
The publication was co-authored by Prof. Dr Susanne Röhr and Felix Wittmann. Prof. Dr Röhr currently holds a post as Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and continues to be affiliated with the Institute for Social Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Public Health (ISAP) as a visiting researcher.