Cognitive health of older persons in longitudinal ageing cohort studies

Dementia poses a major global burden of care to society and health systems in ageing populations. The majority (over 60%) of persons with dementia in the world are found in Asia and developing countries with rapid rates of population ageing. Improving and maintaining the cognitive health of older persons is vital to national strategies for dementia prevention. Increasing numbers of population-based ageing cohort studies in the past decade have provided a better understanding of the factors that contribute to cognitive function and decline in old age. The roles of major demographic, psychosocial, lifestyle, behavioral and cardiovascular risk factors contributing to cognitive health were discussed using examples from the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Studies. They include socio-demographic factors, particularly education and marital status, leisure time activity such as physical activity, social engagement and mental activities, psychological factors such as depression, cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors: obesity, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia, and the metabolic syndrome, under-nutrition, low albumin, low hemoglobin, nutritional factors such as blood folate, B12 and homocysteine, omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids, tea drinking and curcumin-rich turmeric in curry meals. These factors are found to be associated variously with cognitive functions (memory and learning, language, visuospatial, attention and information processing speed), rates of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline, or increased risk of developing MCI and progression to dementia

Does inflammation determine whether obesity is metabolically healthy or unhealthy? the aging perspective

10.1155/2012/456456Mediators of Inflammation20121-1

Symposium on nutrition and cognition: towards research and application for different life stages. (Congress)

Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition211104-12

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements and cognitive decline: Singapore Longitudinal Aging Studies

10.1007/s12603-011-0010-zJournal of Nutrition, Health and Aging15132-3

Determinants of mental health service use in the national mental health survey of the elderly in Singapore

10.1186/1745-0179-5-2Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health251-

Physical health and cognitive function independently contributed to functional disability among Chinese older adults: Data from two asian metropolises

10.4061/2011/960848Journal of Aging Research20111-

Research and Policy to Achieve Healthy Aging in Asia: Recommendations from an Expert Workshop

Open Longevity Science71-1

Serum albumin and hemoglobin are associated with physical function in community-living older persons in Singapore

10.1007/s12603-011-0120-7Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging1510877-88

Systemic inflammation, depression and obstructive pulmonary function: a population-based study

10.1186/1465-9921-14-53Respiratory Research145

Markers of T-cell senescence and physical frailty: insights from Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Studies

10.1038/npjamd.2015.5npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease1500