Dementia can wreak havoc on families as symptoms are caused by damage to the brain.
Age is the number one risk factor for dementia and an aging population has made it more common in the UK.
There is no cure for dementia, but detecting it early can mean patients are receiving the right treatment to help them manage the difficulties associated with it.
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It is also possible to reduce your risk of dementia, and this could be achieved by changing your lifestyle, The Express reported.
Three lifestyle habits that could increase your chances of developing dementia that 1 in 14 people over 65 years of age have.
While there is no surefire way to completely fight off dementia, research has shown that giving up certain habits could reduce the likelihood.
A study from the Netherlands found that people whose results on dementia risk tests suggest a less brain-healthy lifestyle, including smoking, high blood pressure, and poor diet, may also have lower scores on thinking ability tests, more changes on brain scans, and a higher risk of cognitive health Impairments.
It was also found that in men, the test results were linked to poor memory function and markers of brain shrinkage.
The study enrolled 4,164 people with an average age of 59 who took a test called “Lifestyle for Brain Health” (LIBRA).
The total score reflects a person’s potential for dementia considering 11 out of 12 lifestyle factors in the test, including high blood pressure, heart disease, smoking, diet, and physical activity.
Participants in the study took memory tests and other thinking skills, such as information processing speed, executive function, and attention.
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Researchers also looked at brain scans for signs of cerebral small vessel disease, which are signs of vascular brain damage often seen in people with dementia.
The researchers found that people who were in the high-risk group on the LIBRA test, which indicates a less-brain-healthy lifestyle, had three main lifestyle habits that increased their risk and lowered their test scores.
Studies show that high blood pressure, especially in middle age, significantly increases the risk of dementia.
Studies show that patients in a critical phase between 30 and 50 years of age are two-thirds more likely to develop the incurable brain disease.
The World Health Organization warns that smokers have a 45 percent higher risk of dementia than non-smokers.
It is estimated that 14 percent of all Alzheimer’s cases worldwide are potentially due to smoking.
Diets high in saturated and trans fats have been shown to increase cognitive decline and the risk of developing dementia.
The researchers found that both diet and exercise can potentially affect neurogenesis of the hippocampus – the process by which the brain produces new brain cells.
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