We can’t change our age or genetic profile, but there are
several lifestyle changes we can make.
An aging population is leading to a growing number of people
living with dementia.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of symptoms including memory
impairment, confusion, and loss of ability to carry out everyday activities.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form
of dementia, and causes a progressive decline in brain health.
The main risk factor for dementia is older age. Around 30% of people over 85 live
with dementia. Genetic influences also play a role in
the onset of the disease, but these are stronger for rarer types of dementia
such as early-onset
Alzheimer’s disease.
Although we can’t change our age or genetic profile, there
are nevertheless several lifestyle changes we can make that will reduce our
dementia risk.
1. Engage in mentally stimulating activities
Education is an important determinant of dementia risk.
Having less than 10 years of
formal education can increase the chances of developing
dementia. People who don’t
complete any secondary school have the greatest risk.
The good news is that we can still strengthen our brain at
any age, through workplace achievement and leisure
activities such as reading newspapers, playing card games, or
learning a new language or skill.
The evidence suggests that group-based
training for memory and problem-solving strategies could
improve long-term cognitive function. But this evidence can’t be generalized to
computerized “brain training”
programs. Engaging in mentally stimulating activities in a social setting may
also contribute to the success of cognitive training.
2. Maintain social contact
More frequent social contact (such
as visiting friends and relatives or talking on the phone) has been linked to
lower risk of dementia, while loneliness may increase it.
Greater involvement in group or community
activities is associated with a lower risk. Interestingly, size
of friendship group appears less relevant than
having regular contact with others.
3. Manage weight and heart health
There is a strong link between heart and brain health. High
blood pressure and obesity, particularly during mid-life, increase the
risk of dementia. Combined, these conditions may contribute
to more than 12% of
dementia cases.
In an analysis of data from more than 40,000 people, those
who had type 2 diabetes were
up to twice as likely to develop dementia as healthy people.
Managing or reversing these conditions through the use of
medication and/or diet and exercise is crucial to reducing dementia risk.
4. Get more exercise
Physical activity has been shown to protect against cognitive
decline. In data combined from more than 33,000 people, those who
were highly physically active had a 38% lower risk
of cognitive decline compared with those who were inactive.
Precisely how much exercise is enough to maintain cognition
is still under debate.
But a recent review of
studies looking at the effects of taking exercise for a minimum of four weeks
suggested that sessions should last at least 45 minutes and be of moderate to
high intensity. This means huffing and puffing and finding it difficult to
maintain a conversation.
5. Don’t smoke
Cigarette smoking is harmful to heart health, and the
chemicals found in cigarettes trigger inflammation and vascular changes in the
brain. They can also trigger
oxidative stress, in which chemicals called free radicals can cause
damage to our cells. These processes may contribute to the development of
dementia.
As dementia risk is higher in
current smokers compared with past smokers and non-smokers,
this provides yet another incentive to quit once and for all.
6. Seek help for depression
In depression, some changes occur in the brain that
may affect dementia risk. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol have been
linked to shrinkage of brain regions that are important for memory.
Vascular disease, which causes damage to blood vessels, has
also been observed in both depression and dementia. Researchers suggests that
long-term oxidative stress and inflammation may also contribute to both conditions.
A 28-year study of
more than 10,000 people found that dementia risk was only increased in those
who had depression in the ten years before diagnosis. One possibility is that
late-life depression can reflect an early symptom of dementia.
Other studies have shown that
having depression before the age of 60 still increases dementia risk, so
seeking treatment for depression is encouraged.
Other things to consider
Reducing dementia risk factors doesn’t guarantee that you
will never develop dementia. But it does mean that, at a population level,
fewer people will be affected. Recent estimates suggest that up
to 35% of all dementia cases may be due to the risk factors
outlined above.
This figure also includes management of hearing loss,
although the evidence for
this is less well established.
The contribution of sleep disturbances and diet to
dementia risk are emerging as important, and will likely receive more
consideration as the evidence base grows.
Even though dementia may be seen as an older person’s
disease, harmful processes can occur in the brain for several decades before
dementia appears. This means that now is the best time to take
action to reduce your risk.
Helen Macpherson,
Research Fellow, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin
University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative
Commons license. Read the original article.
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