Not only do these people have a stronger heart, their brains also stay healthy for much longer.
You may have heard about them: The Tsimane. This is an indigenous and isolated people living in the Bolivian Amazon. The Tsimane have a simple life consisting mainly of hunting, gathering, fishing and farming. And that is bearing fruit. Because thanks to this lifestyle, they not only have an enviously strong heart, but also appear to age their brains much more slowly.
strong heart
This is not the first time that scientists have traveled to the interior of Bolivia to meet the Tsimane here. A few years ago, they also conducted a study among 705 test subjects from 85 Tsimane villages. This study found that nearly 9 out of 10 Tsimane people no risk of heart disease. In addition, the researchers discovered that no other people in the world are known to age as slowly as the Tsimane. In addition, coronary artery calcification is also a real rarity among this population.
Brain
The current study now builds on this. The researchers again traveled to the remote tribe and took care of 746 Tsimane people aged 40 to 94 years old. Using brain scans, the researchers took a close look at the brain and calculated the brain volume. And guess what? The decrease in brain volume is much slower in the Tsimane than in Western populations. In fact, as they age, their brain volume decreases about 70 percent more slowly than ours. This means that their brains stay healthy for much longer by comparison.
Brain atrophy
More specifically, the researchers find that the Tsimane suffer from brain atrophy much less often. This is the loss of brain tissue; a process that everyone has to deal with as a natural consequence of aging. An accelerated loss of brain volume can be a sign of dementia. But the brains of Tsimane people remain intact for much longer. It means that they have less cognitive decline and are also less likely to become demented.
The findings emphasize once again how important your lifestyle is for your health. “Our lifestyle and a diet rich in sugars and fat can accelerate the loss of brain tissue,” said researcher Hillard Kaplan. “It makes us more vulnerable to diseases like Alzheimer’s.”
The Tsimane have little or no access to health care but are extremely active and eat a high fiber diet of vegetables, fish and lean meats. Image: Tsimane Health and Life History Project Team
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The Tsimane now show us how we can counteract accelerated brain aging. “The study shows us the possible harmful effects of modern lifestyles on our health,” added researcher Andreei Irimia. “These findings suggest that brain atrophy may be significantly slowed by the same factors associated with a lower risk of heart disease.”
Although people in industrialized countries have access to medical care unlike the Tsimane, the results of this study show that being more physically active and a high-fiber diet full of vegetables, fish and lean meat can already have quite positive effects. “This study shows that the Tsimane not only have a strong heart, but also a stronger brain,” Kaplan sums up. “It shows how we can keep our brains healthy.”
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