Reducing the Risk of Dementia Through Healthy Changes

Dementia is on the rise in Australia, with the most recent figures available from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimating that more than 300,000 Australians are living with dementia.

Around 62% of those people are women and 74% are aged over 75. An average of 25 people die from dementia every day. With our ageing population, it is a medical condition that is likely to become more prevalent over the next few decades.

Can the Risk of Dementia be Reduced?

Management of dementia places a heavy economic burden on our health system, and an even heavier personal burden on family and carers, however a recent report by Alzheimer’s Australia and the UNSW’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHEBA) Is the Incidence of Dementia Declining?  suggests that action on preventative health could lower the risk of dementia for future generations.

Professor Perminder Sachdev, author of the report and the newly appointed Chief Medical Adviser to Alzheimer’s Australia, said: “There is evidence from recent studies in Europe that the age-specific rates of dementia may be modifiable. It is possible that environmental and lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, could make a significant contribution to reducing the risk of developing dementia.

“A recent study in the UK in 2011 found that the expected prevalence of dementia in people aged 65 years and older was estimated to be 8.1 per cent but the actual prevalence was found to be 6.5 per cent – a decrease of about 20 per cent from what was expected.”

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So what environmental & lifestyle changes could make a difference?

The report identifies the following:

Keeping your body healthy

Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, obesity and physical inactivity are all risk factors for dementia. So regular exercise and a healthy diet can reduce your chance of dementia.

Nothing too excess

Just as eating to excess is risky, so is drinking to excess, with excessive alcohol use linked to dementia risk. Interestingly, the report identifies that being teetotal may not be the way to go either. “Moderate use of alcohol … has a protective effect against cognitive decline and dementia.”

Trying to stay happy & mentally healthy

Easier said than done, but a history of depression and traumatic brain injury must also be considered as risk factors, so try to seek help if you need it.

Keeping your brain healthy

Another important factor, with studies observing that high education protects an individual from developing dementia. So keep studying, reading, researching and taking an interest in current affairs.

Alzheimer’s Australia’s National President, Ita Buttrose, said that the report highlights the importance of changing the way Australians think about dementia.

“The changes in the brain that lead to dementia begin up to 20 years before symptoms first appear. People of all ages can make simple lifestyle changes that may reduce their risk of dementia, such as increasing physical activity and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol,” Ms Buttrose said.

“We are fortunate in Australia to have the world’s first publicly-funded dementia risk reduction program, Your Brain Matters, delivered by Alzheimer’s Australia. But many Australians remain unaware of the connections between dementia and other major chronic diseases.”

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