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Know Your Risk Factors for Dementia
About 40% of dementias could be prevented or delayed by addressing these 12 modifiable risk factors for dementia.
Dementia is a term given to a constellation of symptoms related to memory, thinking, and social abilities. Dementia is not a specific condition; instead, it is an umbrella term for many illnesses that result in these problems. While some countries are seeing decreases, the overall incidence of dementia is rising rapidly worldwide.
A well-known example of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. AD is the most common reason for progressive dementia among older individuals. Scientists speculate that we could delay or prevent upwards of 40 percent of dementia.
Let’s turn to a recent report from the Lancet standing committee on dementia prevention, intervention, and care. The researchers add three risk factors to the known nine potentially changeable risks. Let’s begin by looking at the factors that they previously reported in 2017:
- less education in early life (7 percent reduction in dementia risk)
- hearing loss (8 percent)
- high blood pressure (2 percent)
- obesity in mid-life (1 percent)
