Are you suffering from brain fog in midlife? It could be from being in your 20s, as research suggests that stress, smoking and lack of exercise in youth lead to “decreased cognitive function” after age 40.
It is called the golden decade, when you are supposed to be the most carefree and happy.
But unhealthy eating in your 20s could be really bad for your health years later, US scientists warn.
Researchers found that young adults who smoked, experienced higher levels of stress and got little exercise were twice as likely to have poor cognitive performance by the time they reached their 40s.
Although there is a decline in cognitive performance with age, it can also be a precursor to much more serious conditions, such as dementia.
Dr Kristine Yaffe, an expert in dementia and cognitive aging at the University of California San Francisco, said: ‘Inflammation plays a major role in cognitive aging and can begin as early as early adulthood.
Making the most of your 20s could be seriously damaging to your health, US scientists warned today. Researchers found that young adults who smoked, experienced higher stress levels and rarely exercised were twice as likely to have poor cognitive performance by the time they reached their 40s.
‘There is likely a direct and indirect effect of inflammation on cognition.
‘Fortunately, there are ways to reduce inflammation, such as exercising more and quitting smoking, which could be a promising preventive method.’
Researchers analyzed data from more than 2,300 adults between the ages of 18 and 30.
During an 18-year follow-up, they were each tested four times for C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation.
Five years after their last CRP measurement, they underwent cognitive testing. Most participants were between 40 and 50 years old at the time.
The scientists found that only 10 percent of twenty-somethings with low inflammation scores performed poorly on tests of processing speed and memory.
But the figure was 21 and 19 percent, respectively, among those with moderate or high levels, according to the study published in the journal Neurology.
“We know from long-term studies that it can take decades for changes in the brain that lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias to occur,” said Dr. Amber Bahorik, an expert in psychiatry and cognition at the University of California, San Francisco.
“We wanted to investigate whether health and lifestyle habits in early adulthood play a role in cognitive abilities in midlife, which in turn may influence the risk of dementia later in life,” she added.
In the UK, an estimated 944,000 people have dementia, while in the US the figure is estimated at around seven million.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. The disease can cause anxiety, confusion and loss of short-term memory.
Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia, affecting approximately six in ten people with the condition.
This is thought to be caused by a build-up of amyloid and tau in the brain, which clump together, forming plaques and tangles that make it harder for the brain to function properly.
Eventually, the brain can no longer process this damage and symptoms of dementia develop.
The second most common form of dementia is vascular dementia, which involves reduced blood flow to the brain, such as in the case of a stroke.
Memory problems, problems with thinking and reasoning, and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which worsen over time.
An analysis by Alzheimer’s Research UK found that 74,261 people will die from dementia in 2022, compared to 69,178 the year before, making it the biggest cause of death in the country.