Smoking, Overweight and Co Nine Risk Factors Identified for Dementia

Preventing dementia by tackling nine risk factors
Almost 1.6 million people with dementia currently live in Germany, and two thirds of them have Alzheimer's disease. The number of those affected is steadily increasing. A research team now reports that fighting fewer than nine risk factors would result in significantly fewer cases of dementia.

Number of dementia patients is rising and rising
Around 47 million people worldwide currently live with dementia, in Germany, according to the German Alzheimer's Association, there are nearly 1.6 million, most of whom have Alzheimer's disease. But the number keeps rising. According to the Alzheimer's report, another dementia diagnosis is added every 3.2 seconds worldwide. While the exact causes of the disease are still unclear, scientists have identified a number of factors involved in the development and development of dementia.

Scientists have identified nine risk factors for dementia. By avoiding them many dementia diseases could be prevented. (Image: highwaystarz / fotolia.com)

Incurable disease
Despite medical progress, dementia can not be cured to this day. The currently available therapies can only slow down the disease process and relieve concomitant symptoms.

However, according to an international research team led by Gill Livingston of University College London (UK), one-third of dementia cases could be prevented by eliminating certain risk factors from childhood on.

"Although dementia is diagnosed later in life, brain changes usually begin to develop years in advance. Risk factors for the development of the disease occur not only in old age, but throughout life, "says Livingston.

The scientists published their findings in the journal "The Lancet".

Nine identified risk factors for dementia
A BBC report lists the nine identified risk factors for dementia:

Hearing loss in middle age, lack of education in adolescence, smoking, depression, physical inactivity, social isolation, hypertension, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

Although the personal disease risk can be influenced to some extent, the researchers acknowledged that the numbers should be interpreted "with caution" as it is not possible to completely eliminate all risk factors.

In addition, other potential risk factors such as e.g. Alcohol consumption or sleep disorders have not been included. Nevertheless, the study shows that it is possible to combat incurable dementia.

Relationship between education and Alzheimer's is also viewed critically
Protecting better education from dementia and helping mental training to prevent Alzheimer's have been demonstrated earlier.

However, according to some experts, the effects of education on the development of dementia are also critical.

For "31 studies carried out in Europe on this topic, 19 studies have been able to establish a positive influence between education and Alzheimer's dementia, in twelve studies, this reference could not be found," Dr. Thorsten Müller from the Medical Proteome Center of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) last year.

In addition to reducing or avoiding the risk factors mentioned above, studies have provided further indications as to how dementia can be avoided.

For example, three cups of coffee a day, regular sauna sessions and cannabis are intended to help prevent Alzheimer's disease or reduce the risk of it in some cases. (Ad)