Which Wards Off Dementia: Brain-Boosting Supplements or Good Old Exercise?
According to newly released guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO), taking dietary supplements should not be recommended to guard against dementia, because there is no evidence that they help.
On the other hand, a healthy diet-particularly a Mediterranean diet-and exercise may help reduce the chances of dementia.
This falls in line with previous research published in JAMA showing that no supplements have been proven to help cognitive decline or dementia.
It seems that popping supplements has become a cure-all for everything from weight loss to memory loss. But many times, the supposed health benefits of these supplements are touted by manufacturers-not by science.
Supplements promoting brain health are a $3.2-billion industry, according to research published in JAMA. So the question of whether they really work is an important one.
Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) is hoping to set the record straight with its recently released guidelines on how to best prevent dementia. What it recommends? Exercise, rather than popping supplements, can help protect your brain as you age.
These new guidelines came from reviews of several studies that experts analyzed to come up with their to provide evidence-based guidelines for recommendations.
“The guidelines recommend the use of a Mediterranean-like diet and a healthy balanced diet to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” Neerja Chowdhary, M.D., of the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, told Bicycling.
In particular, the guidelines state that physical activity should be recommended to adults with normal cognition to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Based on the WHO Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health report, adults over 65 should get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. In addition, they recommend a healthy, balanced diet for all adults, and suggest the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in heart-healthy fish, nuts, and oils, and low in processed foods.
Why is exercise so important? There are a variety of factors at play, the researchers write. For one, exercise helps reduce other cardiovascular risk factors that can also affect brain health, like high blood pressure. It may also boost immune system function, as well as tamp down inflammation.
As for a Mediterranean diet, antioxidants in the fruits and vegetables may also play a role in reducing the inflammation that can hurt your brain, too.
These new recommendations are important because the number of people with dementia is expected to triple in the next 30 years, and they confirm what we have suspected for some time-that adopting a healthy lifestyle helps reduce the risk of dementia, Chowdhary said. This also includes cutting out smoking and cutting back on alcohol intake to help reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
As for what doesn’t improve your risk? Supplements.
According to the guidelines, vitamins B and E, polyunsaturated fatty acids and multi-vitamins should not be recommended by physicians or taken at home to reduce the risk of cognitive decline or dementia. Taking too much of certain supplements can even be harmful, Chowdhary said.
That falls in line with previous research. In fact, the recent study published in JAMA concluded that there are no known dietary supplements that prevent cognitive decline or dementia, though people are led to believe that they can.
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“Based on what the evidence and literature suggests, which is that if you exercise regularly and follow a Mediterranean diet and do heart-healthy practices, it lowers your risk of cognitive issues,” study author Joanna Hellmuth, M.D., an assistant professor at the Memory and Aging Center in the department of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, told Bicycling.
People don’t realize that there are a lot of misleading claims about what supplements are capable of, but it really comes down to the evidence, Hellmuth explained. There is no data for supplements that links them to preventing cognitive decline.
Both the new WHO guidelines and research prove that the benefits of getting out for a ride or hitting the gym will be much more beneficial for your body and brain than popping a supplement and hoping for the best.
“What’s good for the heart is good for the brain,” Hellmuth said. “Exercise is a free lifestyle interventions that works. People just want a diluted easy solution in bottle, but if you exercise and eat well, it is much more beneficial.”
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