Chewing reduces dementia risk
If you can bite into an apple, then you are more likely to maintain mental abilities and keep dementia at bay, according to new research. 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.
If you can bite into an apple, then you are more likely to maintain mental abilities and keep dementia at bay, according to new research.
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.
Several studies have also demonstrated a link 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, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reported.
A team comprising odontology researchers and the Ageing Research Centre (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 years or older.
They found those who had difficulty chewing hard food such as apples had a significantly higher risk of developing cognitive impairments, independently of sex, age, education and mental health problems.
