Heart health risk factors which cause memory problems begin affecting you in middle age

Don’t wait until you’re a senior citizen before quitting cigarettes and exercising regularly — new research shows that risk factors for dementia affect your memory much earlier than that.

Don’t wait until you’re a senior citizen to begin quitting cigarettes or exercising regularly.

Midlife is the time to act on shrinking your waist line, quitting the cigarettes and finding an exercise program you like, to help ward off dementia.

New Melbourne research has found that having two or more risk factors for heart disease, particularly being overweight and smoking, already affects your memory in middle age.

The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health’s Healthy Brain Project is studying the genes and lifestyles of 10,000 middle aged Australians in the hope of uncovering why some people develop dementias and others do not.

Analysis of the first 1500 of the 6300 people so far enrolled, presented at the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian Dementia Forum, found that memory impairments were evidence in cognitively healthy adults — typically aged in their mid-50s — when they had factors putting their cardiovascular health at risk.

“This is not an age people associate with memory problems or dementia, and yet we’re seeing the subtle effects coming through,” said lead researcher Dr Yen Ying Lim.

“The good news is you can do something about these risk factors.”

Other research presented at the conference by Murdoch University’s Dr Belinda Brown, were the results of a six month exercise study in 60- to 80-year-olds.

It found that those who have a genetic risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease can improve their memory and learning by doing high intensity exercise for an hour twice a week.

“There is a lot of debate at this conference around whether or not we should reveal someone’s genetic risk for Alzheimer’s,” Dr Brown said.

“This study is hopeful in that if people know they are at greater genetic risk, there are things that can be done to mitigate that.”

Another 3700 middle aged Australians are needed for the Healthy Brain Project, to reach 10,000. To take part, sign up at healthybrainproject.org.au