Here are Some Lifestyle Changes You Can Practice To Fight Dementia Before it Even Starts

Unlike Alzheimer's, dementia does not affect memory. Instead, it targets the parts of the brain which control thinking, reasoning and emotions.

Among the identified nine potentially modifiable risk factors linked to dementia are low levels of education, midlife hearing loss, physical inactivity, high blood pressure (hypertension), type 2 diabetes, obesity, smoking, depression, and social isolation.

These factors only account for about 35% of the overall risk of getting dementia. Still, this means about 65% of the risk is still due to factors you can't control, such as aging and family history.

According to new guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), avoiding the risk of dementia means getting regular exercise, not smoking, avoiding harmful use of alcohol, controlling their weight, maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and eating a healthy diet.

And according to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, "In the next 30 years, the number of people with dementia is expected to triple."

The risk falling up to a third also showed in the study of nearly 200,000 people by the team at the University of Exeter.

Sue Taylor, 62, from Exeter, takes exercise classes in the park three times a week - even in winter - and has a 45-minute walk before work.

A healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise can help prevent dementia, but it is also recommended for those who already have the diagnosis. The recommended MIND diet is a Mediterranean-based guide for eating that relies heavily on grains, fruits and vegetables, olive oil and lean protein like fish.

The authors of Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association also agree that people can reduce their risk of cognitive decline and dementia by making positive lifestyle changes.

Avoid brain injury by wearing a helmet when riding a bike or playing contact sports and a seatbelt in the car.

Also, don't smoke, exercise more, read more books and limit red wine to one glass a night.

A to-do list by the Washington Post in preventing dementia suggests also ditching red meat, taking a brisk walk to the grocery store, doing the Sunday crossword, and sticking to one glass of wine at dinner.

A physically and mentally active lifestyle provides resilience to frontotemporal dementia (FTD). FTD is the most common form of dementia in people under 65 (accounting for 5 to 15 percent of dementia cases overall) and typically results in rapid cognitive and physical decline. It can lead to death in less than 10 years.

Lifestyle factors such as adequate sleep, a healthy diet, and physical and mental exercises can benefit brain health.

Walking instead of taking transportation is associated with better cognitive outcomes.

Anything that challenges the brain can be defined as reading, writing, going to a concert, socializing, doing games, puzzles, and hobbies.

Another intervention you can do is using antihypertensive drugs, such as ACE inhibitors, in people with hypertension.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common root of dementia.

These guidelines will also be useful for governments, policy-makers and planning authorities to guide them in developing policy and designing programs that encourage healthy lifestyles.

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