Dental health linked to dementia risk

[drmithila]

Can you bite into an apple? If so, you are more likely to maintain mental abilities, according to new research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
The population is aging, and the older we become the more likely it is that we risk deterioration of our cognitive functions, such as memory, decision-making and problem solving. Research indicates several possible contributors to these changes, with several studies demonstrating an association between not having teeth and loss of cognitive function and a higher risk of dementia.
One reason for this could be that few or no teeth makes chewing difficult, which leads to a reduction in the blood flow to the brain. However, to date there has been no direct investigation into the significance of chewing ability in a national representative sample of elderly people.
Now a team comprised of researchers from the Department of Dental Medicine and the Aging Research Center (ARC) at Karolinska Institutet and from Karlstad University in Sweden have looked at tooth loss, chewing ability and cognitive function in a random nationwide sample of 557 people aged 77 or older. They found that those who had difficulty chewing hard food such as apples had a significantly higher risk of developing cognitive impairments. This correlation remained even when controlling for sex, age, education and mental health problems, variables that are often reported to impact on cognition. Whether chewing ability was sustained with natural teeth or dentures also had no bearing on the effect.
The results are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS). The study was financed with grants from several funds, including the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research and the Swedish Research Council

 

        

[Drsumitra]

Chewing could help keep dementia away.

New research from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden indicates that there is a correlation between not having teeth and a loss of cognitive function. The study also shows a correlation involving a lack of teeth and a higher risk for dementia.

As people age, they are at higher risk for worsening health, including deteriorating memory, decision making and problem solving.

This study explains that when people don’t chew as much, less blood flows to the brain. The information is just a theory at this point because there has yet to be a comprehensive study on the connection between chewing ability and dementia over a large sample size of elderly people.

To compile the data for this study, however, 557 people aged 77 and older were studied. It was discovered that the people who had trouble chewing apples were at a higher risk for developing cognitive problems. This relationship stayed that way, regardless of what other factors were in play. The results did not change if the person chewed with dentures as opposed to his or her real teeth.

The information appears in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

 

        

[Author]

Posts