Half of all cases of dementia could be prevented if people adopted healthier and more environmentally friendly lifestyles, a study revealed this week.
A landmark study to be released Wednesday will reveal that it is easier for individuals to protect themselves from disease than many believe.
The Lancet Commission on Dementia will list 14 lifestyle and environmental factors that can be modified to reduce the risk of dementia.
It is estimated that nearly half of all cases of dementia are due to these factors.
By eating less, staying active, cutting out alcohol and cigarettes, and exercising your brain, it is possible to take control of your destiny, even if you have a high genetic risk.
A separate study presented yesterday at the same conference showed that a new blood test could predict Alzheimer’s disease with 90 percent accuracy, more accurate than current methods.
This advance could help improve diagnostics, allowing more patients to access new drugs that are more effective when taken in the early stages of the disease.
Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “People still think dementia is inevitable – there’s this idea that you’re either going to get it or you’re not, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“But there are things you can do throughout your life to reduce your risk of dementia and help you live a longer, healthier life.”
The latest update will be unveiled at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia.
The previous edition of the Lancet Commission, published in 2020, listed 12 modifiable risk factors: blood pressure, obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise, diabetes, brain injury, social isolation, hearing loss, depression, brain maintenance and air pollution.
Scientific evidence in this area has grown in recent years and the new report is expected to go further, the Sunday Times reported. It will add two new lifestyle and health risk factors and call on governments to intervene earlier to help people reduce their risks.
Neurologists have found that using the brain for high-level abstract thinking throughout life offers protection against some aspects of dementia.
The theory that this “cognitive reserve” could help people prevent dementia, especially in the early stages, has sparked a wave of “brain training” apps and programs.
Nearly a million people in the UK are thought to have dementia, with diagnoses at a record high, according to data released last week.
This week’s report is expected to suggest that in at least 40% of cases, the onset of dementia could be delayed or completely prevented through lifestyle and environmental changes.
Sarah Kennedy, 54, from Orkney, gave up her job as a housing support worker to help care for both of her parents who have dementia.
She said: “I don’t want my children to have to go through what I went through with my own parents.
“They’ve been married for almost 60 years. It’s a very strong and loving marriage, but now they don’t really know each other.” Her genetic inheritance means she has a higher risk of developing the disease, but she is determined to do what she can to reduce that risk.
She added: “There is a huge opportunity here because the world has changed in the last ten years when it comes to the science of dementia, but I don’t think our healthcare system has caught up.
“Right now we are trying to treat and support people who are in the later stages of this disease, often when they are in crisis.
“We need to rethink this – and I think prevention is key.” She called on the NHS to do much more to educate patients about the link between dementia and wider health factors.
“We need to rethink the way we do things a little bit,” she said.
“People think it’s destiny, but actually there are things you can do. For the future, it’s about what I can do for myself and for my children.”