You cannot eliminate the possibility of developing Dementia, but you can improve your chances
If you have a loved one with dementia, I'm sure you've wondered, "How can I avoid that happening to me?"
There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that there's no way to predict whether you'll develop severe cognitive decline—a it's complicated thing caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, some of which are out of your control.
But the good news is that there is a lot you can do right now to reduce your chances of developing dementia later in life. As an added bonus, whether you develop dementia later or not, these are things that will likely make you healthier and your life better.
Exercise on a regular basis
Regular exercise may be the single most effective way to prevent dementia. According to the Alzheimer's Society's review of studies on the subject, exercise can reduce the risk of developing dementia by about 30%, and specifically the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 45%. Not only that, but staying active helps with weight management and blood pressure control, which are two other potential ways to reduce your risk of developing dementia.
Eat healthy foods
There is a lot we don't know about the relationship between food and Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, but a healthier diet appears to be linked to a lower risk of developing them, either directly or because people who eat healthy are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and have healthier hearts, both of which are linked to dementia. The National Institute on Aging recommends "The MIND diet," a Mediterranean-style diet that emphasizes plant-based foods linked to dementia reduction. In addition, the diet allows for one glass of wine per day.
Stop smoking
The list of negative consequences of smoking cigarettes is nearly endless: heart disease, lung disease, stroke, bad breath, and dementia. According to the World Health Organization, smoking is responsible for 14% of all dementia cases. According to a Finnish study, people who smoked in their forties more than doubled their chances of developing dementia 20 years later. So stop right now. There is no list of reasons why you should continue smoking (you don't actually look that cool).
Keep a healthy weight
Obesity may be associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, regardless of whether someone smokes, has hypertension or diabetes, or carries the genes associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, according to research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Other research suggests a link between high body weight variability in middle age and dementia later in life, so avoid yo-yo dieting.
Take care of your depression
It's unclear how depression in childhood affects the likelihood of developing dementia later in life, but there is a clear link: depression in childhood has been linked to a two-to-fourfold increase in dementia risk. There is reason to believe that treating depression earlier in life can prevent whatever biological mechanism links depression to dementia; however, even if it does not, treating depression seriously is a good idea.
Keep friendships alive
Maintaining friendships as an adult can be difficult, but doing so may help prevent dementia. A study published in the journal Neurology found that social isolation was associated with a 1.26-fold increase in the risk of dementia, even in the absence of other problems such as loneliness and depression.
Drink less alcohol
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and Alzheimer's Disease International conducted reviews of the scientific literature on the relationship between alcohol use and dementia and concluded that heavy and binge drinkers were more likely to develop dementia than moderate drinkers. However, you don't have to stop drinking entirely: some studies show that moderate alcohol consumers are less likely to develop dementia than people who don't drink at all. It is unclear whether this is due to a biological mechanism or the way some studies define "non-drinker."
Treat your hearing loss
Unless you wear a hearing aid, people with hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia. The theory is that not being able to hear leads to less cognitive stimulation and, as a result, cognitive decline. According to a Lancet study, the data suggests that hearing aid use is corrective—that is, the correlation does not exist because people who are more likely to develop dementia are also less likely to wear hearing aids. As a result, make sure you wear a hearing aid.
Wear a seatbelt and a helmet
While there is no evidence that a single mild traumatic brain injury causes dementia, head injury is the third most common cause of dementia in people under 50 years old (after infection and alcoholism), and more head injuries are associated with a higher risk of dementia later in life. Wear a seatbelt and a helmet when necessary.
Take good care of your teeth
Tooth loss, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, is also a risk factor for dementia. Surprisingly, the risk is not significant among denture wearers. Nobody knows what causes the link between dental health and dementia, but it could be that difficulty chewing leads to poor nutrition, or that gum disease causes both tooth loss and dementia, or that poor dental health correlates with a lower socioeconomic status, another dementia risk factor. However, regardless of the cause, taking care of your teeth now may help to prevent dementia later.
Continue to learn
Maintaining physical activity as you age has been shown to prevent a variety of physical problems, and it appears that the same rule may apply to maintaining mental health as well. A Mayo Clinic study concluded that people whose jobs are challenging and whose hobbies include strong intellectual pursuits are less likely to develop dementia, so keep doing puzzles, reading, and taking classes.
#Dementia #PreventDementia
SOURCE: lifehacker
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