Studies were identified by searches of MEDLINE, MEDLINE plus, and PubMed with the terms ācognitionā, ādementiaā, and āAlzheimer's diseaseā in combination with āsocial networkā, āsocial relationsā, āleisure activityā, āphysical activityā; or ācognitive trainingā, and āphysical trainingā. Studies were also identified from relevant articles. Only papers published in English were included; abstracts or congress proceedings were not taken into account.
ReviewAn active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against dementia
Section snippets
Lifestyle effects on survival and health
There is a large amount of epidemiological data on the health benefits of social integration and social support. And there is more evidence of the effects of leisure activities on health and survival, especially physical activities and physical exercise.
Lifestyle effects on cognition
Research on different lifestyles and cognition is important for understanding and better defining their possible effects on dementia. We present here a systematic review of the observational studies and a summary of the randomised clinical trials.
Effect of social network and leisure activity on dementia risk
13 studies of the possible association between social network, physical and cognitive activity, and dementia were found.54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66
Current evidence
Most of the evidence is from observational studies (figure 1). A higher risk of cognitive decline or lower cognitive performance was observed in five of seven studies of social networks and six of seven studies of non-physical activity (mostly cognitively stimulating activity). Physical activity, including both exercise and daily physical activity, was inversely related to cognition in seven of eight studies. It is difficult to estimate the extent of publication bias, but owing to the debate
Conclusions
In the past 30 years extensive research has increased our knowledge of the aetiology of AD and other dementing disorders. Several hypotheses have already emerged from the epidemiological research. This review provides enough evidence to support the hypothesis that and active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life seems to protect against AD and dementia. This hypothesis can be easily integrated in a general model of dementia occurrence that takes into account the effect of different
Search strategy and selection criteria
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