Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T05:58:53.689Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Healthy behavior and memory self-reports in young, middle-aged, and older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2013

Gary W. Small ,
Prabha Siddarth ,
Linda M. Ercoli ,
Stephen T. Chen ,
David A. Merrill  and
Fernando Torres-Gil
Gary W. Small*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA Longevity Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
Prabha Siddarth
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA Longevity Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
Linda M. Ercoli
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA Longevity Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
Stephen T. Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA Longevity Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
David A. Merrill
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA Longevity Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
Fernando Torres-Gil
Affiliation:
Department of Public Policy, UCLA School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Gary W. Small, Semel Institute, Suite 38-251, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Phone: +1 310-825-0291; Fax: +1 310-825-3910. Email: gsmall@ucla.edu.
Get access

Abstract

Background: Previous research has shown that healthy behaviors, such as regular physical exercise, a nutritious diet, and not smoking, are associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease and dementia. However, less is known about the potential link between healthy behaviors and mild memory symptoms that may precede dementia in different age groups.

Methods: A daily telephone survey (Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index) of US residents yielded a random sample of 18,552 respondents ranging in age from 18 to 99 years, including 4,423 younger (age 18–39 years), 6,356 middle-aged (40–59 years), and 7,773 older (60–99 years) adults. The questionnaire included demographic information and the Healthy Behavior Index (questions on smoking, eating habits, and frequency of exercise). General linear models and logistic regressions were used in the analysis.

Results: Older adults were more likely to report healthy behaviors than were middle-aged and younger adults. Reports of memory problems increased with age (14% of younger, 22% of middle-aged, and 26% of older adults) and were inversely related to the Healthy Behavior Index. Reports of healthy eating were associated with better memory self-reports regardless of age, while not smoking was associated with better memory reports in the younger and middle-aged and reported regular exercise with better memory in the middle-aged and older groups.

Conclusions: These findings indicate a relationship between reports of healthy behaviors and better self-perceived memory abilities throughout adult life, suggesting that lifestyle behavior habits may protect brain health and possibly delay the onset of memory symptoms as people age.

Keywords

healthy agingmemorynutritionphysical activityhealthy behaviortelephone surveylifestyle habits
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 25 , Issue 6 , June 2013 , pp. 981 - 989
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alzheimer's Association (2012). 2012 Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimer's Dementia, 8, 131–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balash, Y.et al. (2012). Subjective memory complaints in elders: depression, anxiety, or cognitive decline? Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, Dec 6. doi:10.1111/ane.12038. [Epub ahead of print].Google ScholarPubMed
Barnes, D. E. and Yaffe, K. (2011). The projected effect of risk factor reduction on Alzheimer's disease prevalence. Lancet Neurology, 10, 819–828.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cataldo, J. K.et al. (2010). Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease: an analysis controlling for tobacco industry affiliation. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 19, 465–480.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coin, A.et al. (2012). Nutritional predictors of cognitive impairment severity in demented elderly patients: the key role of BMI. Journal of Nutrition and Health Aging, 16, 553–556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Leon, J.et al. (2007). Association between smoking and alcohol use in the general population: stable and unstable odds ratios across two years in two different countries. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 42, 252–257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Lorenzo, A.et al. (2011). Adiposity rather than BMI determines metabolic risk. Journal of Cardiology, Nov 14. [Epub ahead of print].Google Scholar
Dik, M. D.et al. (2001). Memory complaints and APOE-epsilon4 accelerate cognitive decline in cognitively normal elderly. Neurology, 57, 2217–2222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eckerström, M.et al. (2013). Sahlgrenska Academy Self-reported Cognitive Impairment Questionnaire (SASCI-Q)—a research tool discriminating between subjectively cognitively impaired patients and healthy controls. International Psychogeriatrics, 25, 420–430.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
El Ansari, W.et al. (2011). Health promoting behaviours and lifestyle characteristics of students at seven universities in the UK. Central European Journal of Public Health, 19, 197–204.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ercoli, L. M.et al. (2006). Perceived loss of memory ability and cerebral metabolic decline in persons with the apolipoprotein E-4 genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. Archives of General Psychiatry, 63, 442–448.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erickson, K. I.et al. (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 108, 3017–3022.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Etgen, T.et al. (2010). Physical activity and incident cognitive impairment in elderly persons: the INVADE study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 170, 186–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fitzpatrick, A. L.et al. (2009). Midlife and late-life obesity and the risk of dementia: cardiovascular health study. Archives of Neurology, 66, 336–342.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ginó, S.et al. (2010). Memory complaints are frequent but qualitatively different in young and elderly healthy people. Gerontology, 56, 272–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gu, Y.et al. (2010). Mediterranean diet, inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers, and risk of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimers Disease, 22, 483–492.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haibach, J. P.et al. (2013). A longitudinal evaluation of fruit and vegetable consumption and cigarette smoking. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 15, 355–363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamer, M. and Chida, Y. (2009). Physical activity and risk of neurodegenerative disease: a systematic review of prospective evidence. Psychological Medicine, 39, 3–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Head, D.et al. (2012). Exercise engagement as a moderator of the effects of APOE genotype on amyloid deposition. Archives of Neurology, 69, 636–643.Google ScholarPubMed
Heffernan, T.et al. (2010). Smoking and everyday prospective memory: a comparison of self-report and objective methodologies. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 112, 234–238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hughes, T. F.et al. (2010). Midlife fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of dementia in later life in Swedish twins. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18, 413–420.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Joseph, J.et al. (2009). Nutrition, brain aging, and neurodegeneration. Journal of Neuroscience, 29, 12795–12801.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kinsella, K. and He, W. (2009). An Aging World: 2008: International Population Reports. U.S. Census Bureau, issued June 2009. Available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p95-09-1.pdf.Google Scholar
Knopman, D. S.et al. (2001). Practice parameter: diagnosis of dementia (an evidence-based review). Report of the quality standards subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology, 56, 1143–1153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kotter-Grühn, D. and Hess, T. M. (2012). The impact of age stereotypes on self-perceptions of aging across the adult lifespan. Journal of Gerontology B Psychological Sciences, 67, 563–571.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mazereeuw, G.et al. (2012). Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cognitive performance: a meta-analysis. Neurobiol of Aging, 33, 1482. e17–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Merrill, D. A. and Small, G. W. (2011). Prevention in psychiatry: effects of healthy lifestyle on cognition. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 34, 249–261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Merrill, D. A.et al. (2012). Self-reported memory impairment and brain PET of amyloid and tau in middle-aged and older adults without dementia. International Psychogeriatrics, 24, 1076–1084.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Minett, T. S.et al. (2008). Subjective memory complaints in an elderly sample: a cross-sectional study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23, 49–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paradise, M. B.et al. (2011). Subjective memory complaints, vascular risk factors and psychological distress in the middle-aged: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 11, 108. Available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/11/108.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petersen, R. C. (2004). Mild cognitive impairment as a diagnostic entity. Journal of Internal Medicine, 256, 183–194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reisberg, B. and Guathier, , , S. (2008). Current evidence for subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) as the pre-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage of subsequently manifest Alzheimer's disease. International Psychogeriatrics, 20, 1–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schofield, P. W.et al. (1997). Association of subjective memory complaints with subsequent cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly individuals with baseline cognitive impairment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 609–615.Google ScholarPubMed
Shavelle, R. M.et al. (2008). Smoking habit and mortality: a meta-analysis. Journal of Insurance Medicine, 40, 170–178.Google ScholarPubMed
Singh-Manoux, A.et al. (2011). Timing of onset of cognitive decline: results from Whitehall II prospective cohort study. British Medical Journal, 344, d7622. doi:10.1136/bmj.d7622.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Small, G. W.et al. (1999). Memory self-appraisal in middle-aged and older adults with the apolipoprotein E-4 allele. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 1035–1038.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Small, G. W.et al. (2012). Prediction of cognitive decline by positron emission tomography of brain amyloid and tau. Archives of Neurology, 69, 215–222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sofi, F.et al. (2010). Accruing evidence on benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on health: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92, 1189–1196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teixeira, C. V.et al. (2012). Non-pharmacological interventions on cognitive functions in older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 54, 175–180.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
The American Association for Public Opinion Research (2008). Standard Definitions: Final Dispositions of Case Codes and Outcome Rates for Surveys, 5th edn.Lenexa, KS: AAPOR.Google Scholar
Torres, S. J.et al. (2012). Dietary patterns are associated with cognition among older people with mild cognitive impairment. Nutrients, 4, 1542–1551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Troyer, A. K. and Rich, J. B. (2002). Psychometric properties of a new metamemory questionnaire for older adults. Journal of Gerontology B Psychological and Social Sciences, 57, P19–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uemura, K.et al. (2012). Effects of exercise intervention on vascular risk factors in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra, 2, 445–455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waldorff, F. B.et al. (2012). Subjective memory complaints in general practice predicts future dementia: a 4-year follow-up study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, doi:10.1002/gps.3765. [Epub ahead of print].CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wen, C. P.et al. (2011). Minimum amount of physical activity for reduced mortality and extended life expectancy: a prospective cohort study. Lancet, 378, 1244–1253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zelinski, E. M.et al. (1990). Memory Functioning Questionnaire: concurrent validity with memory performance and self-reported memory failures. Psychology and Aging, 5, 388–399.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed