How lifestyle-focused resolutions can help your long-term brain health

Eating better and exercising are common New Year’s resolutions, but choosing a healthier lifestyle can have other benefits too. CTV’s Karis Mapp reports.

A new year means new beginnings and, for many people, a resolution to hold themselves accountable to their goals.

Carl Zehr Square in downtown Kitchener, Ont. was busy on New Year’s Day with skaters who shared their resolutions with CTV News.

“My resolutions are to read more books, to learn how to ride a bike, learn how to swim and practice my skating,” said one young girl who was hitting the ice with her mother.

Another woman said she wanted to eat healthier as she approached her 60th birthday and have more time with her grandson.

But not everyone was interested in resolutions. One woman said she believed they set people up for failure because their expectations were unrealistic.

“I’m just kind of living day-by-day, and hoping for the best,” she explained.

Resolutions are often a fun New Year’s tradition, but scientists specializing in brain function say they can also result in long-term health benefits.

“People commit to exercising more, to eating in a healthier way, cut down on smoking or drinking, and all of these things are risk factors for dementia,” said Dr. Nicole Anderson, a senior scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute in Toronto. “Anything we can do to help improve our health will help reduce our risk of developing dementia.”

Alzheimer’s disease, by comparison, is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and often leads to dementia.

“Alzheimer’s is the most common disease that causes dementia. But for all of them, lifestyle matters to a huge extent,” Anderson explained, adding that genetics plays a lesser role in a person’s chance of developing dementia.

Experts say the number of people developing dementia is still on the rise as generational cohorts, such as baby boomers, approach the average onset of 72 years old.

“The numbers of dementia [patients] are going to triple between now and 2050,” Anderson predicted. “However, the incidence of dementia – which is the likelihood that any one person will get it – is on the decline.”

She said, in addition to eating right and exercising, being social is just as important for brain health.

“Especially those who have trouble hearing, they tend to isolate themselves,” Anderson told CTV News. “We know that cognitive engagement and social connections that come from being socially connected are so important for reducing dementia risk.”

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.