How can you prevent dementia? A new review of scientific studies identified the biggest known risk factors for dementia as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, head injuries, depression, hearing loss andExposure to air pollutionas well as a lack of exercise, education and social contacts. A comprehensive report by 28 leading dementia experts from around the world finds that nearly half of all dementia cases could potentially be prevented or delayed by taking health interventions to address these 12 risk factors.
The report concludes that dementia can be prevented by:
– doesn’t smoke,
– drinks no more than 10 glasses of alcohol per week,
– maintains a systolic blood pressure of less than 130 mmHg,
– avoids activities that could lead to head injuries,
– use hearing aids if necessary,
–eats healthyand exercises regularly
– and maintains social contacts.
In addition to the recommendations for individuals, the report calls on governments to:Protecting the population from dementia, by providing primary and secondary education to all children, improving air quality, promoting healthy behaviors and discouraging smoking and heavy drinking.
In some higher-income countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States and France, dementia rates among older people have declined in recent decades, possibly due to improvements in education, nutrition and health care. This suggests that preventive health measures may have an impact on dementia, just as they have helped reduce rates of lung cancer and deaths from heart disease in many higher-income countries, researchers believe.
Two-thirds of dementia cases currently occur in low- and middle-income countries, where access to education is often poorer and rates of smoking, obesity and diabetes are relatively high.
“This means that government policies such as improving education and introducing anti-smoking campaigns could have an even greater impact in low- and middle-income countries,” says report co-author Adesola Ogunniyi of the University of Ibadan Nigeria. In Latin America, for example, an estimated 56 percent of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by targeting the 12 risk factors.
Reference: The Lancet,DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6
