Higher Inflammation In 20s Linked To Executive Dysfunction In Midlife

A new Neurology study found that people who experience consistently higher or moderate inflammation during their early adulthood might be far more prone to poor executive function in midlife.

The term “executive function” is used to define a set of complex cognitive skills that enable human beings to organize and plan ahead, prioritize tasks, regulate their emotions and attention, develop time management skills, and tune out constant distractions.

While multiple contributing factors may lead to executive dysfunction for different types of neurological conditions, prior studies have linked higher inflammation in older adults to dementia.

“We know from long-term studies that brain changes leading to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias may take decades to develop,” said the first author of the Neurology study, Amber Bahorik of the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Weill Institute for Neurosciences, in a press release. “We wanted to see if health and lifestyle habits in early adulthood may play a part in cognitive skills in midlife, which, in turn, may influence the likelihood of dementia in later life.”

Following their analysis of data belonging to 2,364 people who were a part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, Bahorik and colleagues observed that only 10% of the study participants with low inflammation failed to pass cognitive tests that assessed their memory and processing speed. Whereas 19% of people with higher inflammation had poor test results, and another 21% of those with moderate levels of inflammation were also lagging behind compared to those with lower inflammation.

In a press release, senior author Kristine Yaffe, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, neurology, and epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF said: “Inflammation plays a significant role in cognitive aging and may begin in early adulthood. There is likely a direct and indirect effect of inflammation on cognition.”

“Fortunately, there are ways to reduce inflammation – such as by increasing physical activity and quitting smoking – that might be promising paths for prevention,” Yaffe added.

Of the 2,364 people who were a part of the study, 55% were women and 57% were white and the remaining were Black. Their mean age was 50 years. Around 45% had lower or stable inflammation, 16% had moderate inflammation and 39% had higher levels of inflammation.

Each participant underwent tests that revealed their inflammation levels over 18 years. The researchers measured their inflammation levels with the help of an inflammatory marker known as C-reactive protein.

Five years after recording their C-reactive protein levels, they made each participant undergo cognitive tests. And by then, most of the participants were in their 40s and 50s.

Other than dementia, studies have also associated chronic inflammation with conditions like heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and depression.

The major contributing factors for chronic inflammation are smoking/tobacco use, alcohol use, repeated viral or bacterial infections, exposure to air pollution and/or water pollution, and even pre-existing allergies.

Healthcare providers say reducing your sugar intake and consistently consuming more fruits, vegetables, and other high-fiber items like legumes and pulses, can help reduce inflammation.