In a new study from some of the world’s leading experts in dementia, it was found that almost half of the global cases of the disease could be prevented or delayed, specifically pointing out 14 risk factors that exist throughout a patient’s life.
Nearly half of the dementia cases worldwide could be prevented or delayed in development, according to a new study from 27 of the world’s leading experts in the disease. The experts specifically named and analyzed 14 risk factors associated with the progression of dementia.
In their report published by the Lancet, the experts stated that by 2050, the amount of people in the world who will be living with dementia will nearly triple to around 153 million. They warn that this increase will place a major threat on health and social care systems, citing their research which shows global health and social costs linked to dementia costing about $1 trillion annually.
The research itself was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association international conference in the US, where it was discussed that by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors, dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by up to 45%. Professor Gill Livingston, the lead author of the research, told the Guardian that it has become clear that there are a lot of adjustments that millions of people could and should make to reduce their risk of dementia.
“Many people around the world believe dementia is inevitable but it’s not. Our report concludes that you can hugely increase the chances of not developing dementia or pushing back its onset.”
“It’s also important to stress that while we now have stronger evidence that longer exposure to risk has a greater effect … it’s never too early or too late to take action,” Professor Livingston said.
She added that “people at all stages of life, from children to elderly people, could take steps to reduce their risk of developing the disease – which has no cure – or at least fend it off until later in life.”
The evidence shows that 7% of dementia cases are linked to “bad” cholesterol in midlife from around the age of 40, and 2% of cases are connected to untreated vision loss later in life. The new risk factors discussed in the research are being discussed in addition to 12 identified by the Lancet commission in 2020. All of the factors are “attributable to about 36% of dementia cases,” according to Livingston.
The previous 12 identified risk factors are: lower levels of education, hearing impairment, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, air pollution and social isolation.
“The potential for prevention is high and, overall, nearly half of dementias could theoretically be prevented by eliminating these 14 risk factors. These findings provide hope,” the experts wrote.
“Healthy lifestyles that involve regular exercise, not smoking, cognitive activity in midlife – including outside formal education – and avoiding excess alcohol cannot only lower dementia risk but may also push back dementia onset.”
“Those who developed dementia lived with it for a shorter period of time. This has huge quality-of-life implications for individuals as well as cost-saving benefits for societies,” Livingston said.
She stated “one of the easiest things people could do to prevent their risk of dementia was fit some exercise into their day if they are mainly sedentary, be that a walk or even seated exercises.”
The Lancet commission also presented 13 recommendations to reduce one’s risk of dementia throughout their life. One of the recommendations includes making hearing aids more available for those who experience hearing loss. Another is detecting and treating high cholesterol levels by the time an individual is 40.
“Some dementia risk factors, such as alcohol consumption and physical exercise, can be managed by changing your lifestyle but many must be addressed on a societal level,” Fiona Carragher, the chief policy and research officer at Alzheimer’s Society, which part-funded the study, said.
“Social isolation, education inequalities and air pollution are beyond individuals’ control and require public health interventions and joint action between government and industry.”
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, the executive director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, which helped fund the research, cautioned that “age and genetics remained the biggest risk factors for dementia. The findings that there were several other health and lifestyle factors at play is good news because it provided a huge opportunity for people and governments to put in place preventive measures to lessen the devastating impact of dementia on society and loved ones in the future.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
