Key points from article :
The Tsimane indigenous people of the Bolivian Amazon experience less brain atrophy than their American and European peers.
Decrease in their brain volumes with age is 70% slower than in Western populations.
The Tsimane have little or no access to health care but are physically active and consume a high-fiber diet.
“..brain atrophy may be slowed substantially by the same lifestyle factors associated with very low risk of heart disease,” - Andrei Irimia, study author.
Tsimane have high levels of inflammation, which is typically associated with brain atrophy in Westerners.
In Westerners, inflammation is associated with obesity and metabolic causes.
In the Tsimane, however, it is driven by respiratory, gastrointestinal and parasitic infections.
“Our sedentary lifestyle and diet rich in sugars and fats...making us more vulnerable to diseases such as Alzheimer’s,” - Hillard Kaplan, study author.
Study by University of Southern California published in the Journal of Gerontology.
