What’s your brain care score?
Each year, more than 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke, and dementia affects one in seven. Now, there’s a new validated test, the first of its kind, that tallies points from 12 physical, lifestyle and social-emotional domains. The McCance Brain Care Score (BCS), developed by Massachusetts General Hospital, is designed to assess and predict the risk of developing brain health problems such as dementia, stroke and depression.
The BCS consists of 12 questions categorized into three domains:
- Physical Health: Blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, smoking status, and exercise.
- Lifestyle: Sleep duration, diet, and social support.
- Social and Emotional Well-being: Stress levels, purpose in life, and social connections.
Each question is assigned a point value, and the total score ranges from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate better brain health, while lower scores suggest an increased risk of brain problems.
The BCS provides several benefits, including identification of risk factors, guidance for preventive measures such as lifestyle changes or medical interventions, and assessment of interventions.
The BCS is available online and can be completed in about 10 minutes at: https://www.massgeneral.org/neurology/mccance-center/about/brain-care-score
One of the developers of the test, Dr. Jonathan Rosand, says people who want to make changes after taking the test should pick one area that seems easiest to improve and make small changes. Don’t exercise at all? Try walking one day a week. Eat vegetables one day a week? Try adding two more times. Once you have a small success, it’s easier to try to make other, bigger changes.
“Each of us can find ways to improve our Brain Care Score over time. The key is deciding that you really don’t want to develop dementia or stroke and are eager to do something about it,” Rosand says.
Regular, not occasional, participation necessary to maintain social connections
A new UGA study from the department of psychology finds that recurring, in-person events attended with another person are the most effective at making people feel more connected and less isolated.
The recurring aspect turned out to be the most important aspect as feelings of social connection typically weren’t sustained 24 hours after events ended. Not only is regular attendance key but events that encourage active participation rather than just passive listening were the most effective. (See article on Social Sports elsewhere in Boom.)
Heat your feet for better sleep!
Warming the extremities before bed has been shown to help people fall asleep more quickly and does so as well as many over-the-counter sleep aids, according to Washington Post columnist, Trisha Pasricha, MD. Studies have found that warming the skin before bed not only makes you feel tired but also creates changes in your brain activity that corresponds to longer periods of deep sleep. She advises:
- Take a warm bath or shower (one or two hours before bed and for at least 10 minutes).
- Do a quick foot soak in warm water.
- Wear socks to sleep.
- Don’t take ibuprofen or aspirin because they will cancel out the benefits of skin warming. Try acetaminophen.
Fall-related mortality rising among older adults
Death rates from fall injuries among Americans over 65 have more than tripled over the past 30 years. Among those over 85, death rates from falls jumped to 339 per 100,000 in 2023, from 92 per 100,000 in 1990.
The culprit, according to Dr. Thomas Farley, an epidemiologist writing in JAMA Health Forum, is Americans’ increasing use of medications – such as benzodiazepines, opioids, antidepressants and gabapentin – that act on the central nervous system.
Problematic drugs are numerous enough to have acquired an acronym: FRIDs or “fall risk increasing drugs,” a category that also includes various cardiac medications and early antihistamines like Benadryl. Older patients are urged to raise the issue of FRIDs themselves, if their doctors haven’t.
It’s two simple questions: “Do any of my medications increase the risk of falls? Is there an alternative treatment?”
Flossing May Add Years to Your Life
Cleaning between the teeth affects more than oral health and may even affect the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, kidney disease and more. Flossing is an essential component of oral hygiene, offering benefits that extend beyond clean teeth, says Dr. Mia L. Geisinger, who is a professor at the University of Alabama School of Dentistry, Birmingham, Alabama.
“Oral health is integral to overall well-being,” said Dr. Geisinger. “In fact, individuals who floss daily live on average nearly six and a half years longer than those who do not floss every day.” Brushing removes only 40% to 60 % of plaque, but cleaning between teeth helps eliminate more.
Gum tissue that is often irritated by poor oral hygiene can increase the chances of bacteria spreading through blood vessels. The body responds by releasing chemical messengers to fight these bacteria, which can lead to inflammation throughout the body. “Gum disease can lead to higher levels of inflammatory markers and compound damage within tissues throughout the body,” said Dr.Geisinger. “This includes the arteries and the heart.”
And while poor flossing habits are not a direct cause of dementia, the resulting increase in periodontal disease can increase the chance of developing dementia. “Specific bacteria found in advanced periodontal disease, for example Porphyromonas gingivalis, have been associated with worsening cognitive function and dementias,” said Dr. Geisinger.
Since the earliest forms of gum disease can present without any symptoms, Dr. Geisinger says it is important to schedule a comprehensive periodontal examination every year to diagnose gum disease at the earliest stages.
