7 lifestyle habits that can cut your risk of dementia in half

More than 55 million people live with dementia, and it is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide.
Research shows that a healthy lifestyle can lower the chances of developing dementia, even for people whose genes put them at higher risk.
Scientists have shown that 7 healthy habits appear to prevent up to 43% of people from developing the condition.
Eating right, exercising, and not smoking all play an important role in preventing dementia.

Researchers have found that people whose genes put them at higher risk for dementia can reduce their chances of getting the disease by up to 43% by following seven habits for healthy living.

It was already thought that a healthy lifestyle could reduce the risk of dementia, but until now it was less clear if this applied to people with genetic variants that made them more likely to develop the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that dementia is the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases worldwide and is responsible for millions of older people suffering from disability and dependency. With the proportion of older people increasing in almost all countries, the WHO expects dementia cases to rise to 139 million by 2050.

Genetic risk

A study from the American Academy of Neurology investigated whether people with a higher genetic risk could lower their chances of getting the condition. Researchers followed nearly 12,000 people for 30 years and scored them based on their adherence to the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7, a list of lifestyle habits linked to good cardiovascular health.

7 ways to reduce the risk of dementia.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of dementia, even in people who are genetically predisposed to developing the disease.

Image: American Heart Association

1. Check your blood pressure. Keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range reduces stress on your heart, arteries, and kidneys.

2. Control cholesterol. High cholesterol contributes to plaque that can clog arteries and lead to heart disease and stroke.

3. Lower blood sugar. High blood sugar levels can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.

4. Stay active. There is strong evidence that daily physical activity increases the length and quality of life.

5. Eat better. A healthy diet is one of the best ways to prevent cardiovascular disease.

6. Lose weight. Losing a few pounds can reduce the load on your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and skeleton.

7. Quit smoking. Smokers are at increased risk of developing a variety of serious illnesses, including heart disease.

Participants in the dementia study were asked to rate themselves on a scale of 0 to 14 depending on how closely they followed the seven healthy habits. The researchers also calculated their genetic risk, based on whether they had variants linked to a higher or lower chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease, which is a leading cause of dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease, a result of rapid aging causing dementia, is a growing concern. Dementia, the seventh leading cause of death worldwide, cost the world $1.25 trillion in 2018 and affected an estimated 50 million people in 2019. Without major breakthroughs, the number of people affected will triple by 2050 , to 152 million.

To catalyze the fight against Alzheimer’s, the World Economic Forum is partnering with the Global CEO Initiative (CEOi) to form a coalition of public and private stakeholders, including pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotech companies, governments, international organizations, foundations and funding agencies. research.

The initiative aims to advance preclinical research to advance understanding of the disease, attract more capital by reducing the risks of investment in biomarkers, develop permanent clinical trial platforms, and improve healthcare system readiness in the fields. detection, diagnosis, infrastructure and access.

Healthy life style

The participants had an average age of 54 years when the research began. Around 9,000 had European ancestry and 3,000 African ancestry.

At the end of the study, 1,603 people of European descent and 631 people of African descent had developed dementia. Those with the highest scores for following a healthy lifestyle were much less likely to have dementia, including participants who had genetic variants linked to Alzheimer’s.

Study author Adrienne Tin, from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, says: “The good news is that even people who are at the highest genetic risk, living this same healthier lifestyle [is likely to] lower risk of dementia.”

Alzheimer's disease death rate in the United States from 2000 to 2019 (per 100,000 population).

Alzheimer’s is among the top 10 causes of death in the United States.

Image: Statista/Alzheimer’s Association

Risk factor’s

In those with European ancestry, participants with the highest scores for healthy living were up to 43 percent less likely to develop dementia than those with the lowest scores. For those of African descent, following healthy habits was linked to a 17% lower risk of developing the condition. But the study’s authors say the smaller number of people of African descent taking part means the findings are less certain for this group, so more research is needed.

Dr Rosa Sancho, from Alzheimer’s Research UK, told The Times: “The risk of dementia depends on many factors. Some, like our age and genetic makeup, we can’t change, while others, like diet and exercise, we can. This study supports the idea that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain.”

If adopting these seven healthy habits can reduce the number of people with dementia, it’s not just individuals who will benefit. The World Health Organization says that dementia also has high global social and economic costs. Informal caregivers, including family and friends, spend an average of five hours a day caring for patients, with the global financial bill expected to be more than $2.8 trillion by 2030.

There are many organizations around the world working to help speed advances in the prevention and treatment of the condition. Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative is led by the World Economic Forum and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s disease and is investing $700 million over six years in developing healthcare diagnostics and drugs.

Speaking at a DAC Learning Lab meeting in May 2022, its co-chair, George Vradenburg, stressed the importance of remembering that Alzheimer’s can affect anyone, regardless of economic, racial, or geographic status.

“We have an explicitly global character. We want to make sure from the beginning of this effort that we engage low- and middle-income countries and pay attention to all societies, all resource environments, and all racial and ethnic legacies as we move down the road to curing cancer. Alzheimer’s. .”

Written by

Simon Lee, Senior Writer, Educational Content

Source: www.weforum.org