Modern life is aging our brains

After analyzing the health of people in the Bolivian Amazon, scientists conclude that modern life accelerates brain aging and causes more heart disease

It is undeniable that modern life, an abundance of food, the development of medicines and the creation of vaccines are beneficial to humans. On the other hand, the current level of comfort enjoyed by some individuals may come with a heavy price: accelerated brain aging, according to research conducted with people who inhabit the Bolivian Amazon and who are closer to pre-industrial communities.

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For nearly 10 years, scientists from the University of Southern California (USC) and other research institutions in the United States have traveled to the Amazon and studied the ways modern life impacts societies. As a control group for comparison purposes, they use health data from local communities, such as the Tsimané and Mosetén indigenous peoples.

Why does modern life age the brain?

In an article published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the USC authors argue that the excellent rates of brain aging in Amazonian communities are achieved through a better balance between food intake and exercise, promoting healthy aging and reducing the risk of disease. Something that stands out is the high-fiber diet, including vegetables, fish and lean meat.

Unlike indigenous communities, industrialized populations in the United States and Europe — used in the study comparison — have greater access to food and are less physically active. As noted, sedentary lifestyle and exacerbated calorie consumption cooperate with the acceleration of cognitive decline. With that, the risk of dementia is higher – and that of heart problems too.

To reach these conclusions, the volunteers underwent CT scans to measure brain volume according to age. Furthermore, measurements were made of the Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol and other indicators of general health. A total of 1,100 adult natives, aged between 40 and 94 years, were analysed.

Other studies have investigated the health of the people of the Amazon

As mentioned above, this is not the first study to investigate the benefits of aging in indigenous peoples. However, previous research has only involved the Tsimane community, as was the case with the journal article The Journal of Gerontology in 2021.

In this case, the authors revealed that the indigenous population had a 70% lower rate of brain shrinkage than their North American and European peers. When accelerated, the behavior is linked to cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementias, such as Alzheimer’s. A total of 746 adults from the local community were analysed.

“The Tsimanes have provided us with an incredible natural experiment into the potentially harmful effects of modern lifestyles on our health,” Andrei Irimia, an assistant professor at USC and one of the study’s authors, said in a statement. Among the natives, diets high in sugar and fat, common in modern life, are non-existent.

In 2017, another study of the Tsimane people was published in the journal The Lancet. This time, the analyzes found that indigenous peoples have the lowest prevalence of coronary heart disease (coronary atherosclerosis) of any population known to science. In general, there are very few risk factors associated with heart disease. In contrast, this is the group of complications most associated with deaths in the modern world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Since all is not perfect, these individuals face other health issues, such as respiratory, gastrointestinal, and parasitic infections. Unlike modern societies, infectious diseases are the leading cause of death among natives and significantly affect group longevity.

Source: The Journal of Gerontology, The Lancet, PNASUSC (1) AND (two)

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Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.