It has been suggested that lifestyle modifications such as walking 10,000 steps a day, reducing alcohol intake, improving sleep quality at night, and maintaining social interactions can avert up to 40% of dementia cases globally.
Why don't we encourage our physicians and governments to support these lifestyle modifications through new programs and policy measures, considering that dementia remains one of the most dreaded diseases?
But the reality is more nuanced. We all know it's difficult to modify one's lifestyle. Anyone who has made an effort to stick to their New Year's commitment to work out three times a week should be asked. When the adjustments we need to make now won't have effects for years or even decades, and we don't fully understand why they work, it might be twice as challenging.
Taking charge of your well-being
Dementia is a terrible illness, as anybody who has witnessed a loved one go through both minor and major setbacks and declines until they are unable to eat, speak, or remember understands.
A number of novel medications are being introduced to treat Alzheimer's disease, which is one of the most prevalent types of dementia. They only work for patients with Alzheimer's disease who are in the early stages of the disease, though, and they are still a long way from a cure.
Therefore, altering our way of life may be the best way to prevent or delay dementia. Star Chris Hemsworth is aware of this. After discovering he carries two copies of the APOE4 gene, he is changing his lifestyle after witnessing his grandfather suffer from Alzheimer's.
Modifiable risk factors that have been linked to an increased risk of dementia have been identified by research:
lack of exercise
overindulgence in alcohol
reduced sleep, social exclusion, and hearing loss
poor diet, reduced cognitive engagement
weight gain obesity
diabetes smoking catastrophic brain injury
depression
air contamination
There are differences in our comprehension of the basic mechanisms behind these risk factors; some are easier to grasp than others.
However, there is a lot that we already know, and this is also important for you to know.
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