See what the risk factors for dementia are – 09/21/2023 – Balance

The main risk factor for dementia is aging. “Unfortunately we cannot fight this process, but there are other variables that we are capable of changing”, says professor and researcher Breno Pires Barbosa David. Recently published scientific studies shed new light on three of them: sedentary lifestyle in adulthood, hypertension and poor diet.

Knowledge about the conditions that favor the emergence of dementia and Alzheimer’s has advanced significantly in recent years, says Barbosa, from the Federal University of Pernambuco. With the so-called modifiable risk factors discovered by this research, it is possible to develop strategies to take care of health, at a personal and collective level, and reduce between 40 and 50% of cases of neurodegeneration.

Dementia is an umbrella term used to group a set of diseases that manifest themselves through cognitive loss, that is, the patient loses skills they have mastered, compromising their autonomy and leading to dependence on others. Although it is much more common in the elderly, it can affect individuals of all ages.

The most common types of these diseases are neurodegenerative, those that culminate in the progressive loss of neurons. Depending on the area of ​​the brain affected, these diseases can cause different cognitive losses. Alzheimer’s is the most common case, in which areas responsible for memory retention are affected. But it’s not the only one.

Frontotemporal dementia gets its name because it is characterized by atrophy of these regions of the brain, creating behavioral problems for the patient. The disease, which affects personalities such as journalist Maurício Kubrusly and actor Bruce Willis, often manifests itself early, before the age of 60. Another worrying type of dementia is that caused by Lewy bodies, which affects the visual area of ​​the brain and can generate hallucinations and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Problems, however, can be avoided with prevention. Paulo Caramelli, professor and member of the World Council on Dementia, highlights six fundamental health habits, which are not only capable of preventing cognitive loss, but also reduce the chances of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and early death. These include taking care of diabetes and obesity, stopping smoking and the aforementioned practice of physical activity, paying attention to hypertension and taking care of your diet.

In recent research, scientists wondered whether there was an association between sedentary behavior and dementia. To answer the questions, experts carried out a study using data collected from almost 50,000 healthy adults over the age of 60 in the United Kingdom. For a week, they wore a wrist accelerometer, capable of measuring these participants’ daily behavior. After 7 years they underwent follow-up. During this period, 400 of the volunteers were diagnosed with dementia.

The results show that the shorter the daily time of physical activity, the greater the risk of the disease. Practicing three hours of exercise daily among participants was able to reduce the risk of loss of cognition by three times. The researchers also looked at the distribution of activities throughout the day, but concluded that they did not influence the final result.

Breno Barbosa explains that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of a series of health problems throughout life, being potentially harmful to the brain. Physical activity improves our cognitive reserve, a kind of “savings” of neurons that the body makes for old age. But staying still in old age is especially harmful, says the researcher. That’s why he emphasizes that there’s no wrong age to start.

Another group of researchers focused on the influence of hypertension as a risk factor for loss of cognition. Using data from 34 thousand patients aged between 60 and 110 years from 15 different countries, including Brazil, grouped into three categories (healthy, treated and untreated).

The results show that the two diseases are related. The good news, however, is that treating hypertension can reduce the risk of dementia to the same levels as healthy people. Both studies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the health field.

Another work, published in July in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, reports the results of monitoring almost 3,000 patients regarding their diet. The scientists’ intention was to evaluate the effect of poor diet on cognitive loss. To do this, data on eating habits were gathered and, 14 years later, the patients were re-evaluated in search of a diagnosis of dementia.

Researchers show that the greater the number of servings of ultra-processed foods per day, the greater the risk of developing neurodegenerative problems. Although it is very attractive to the palate, many nutrients are lost during food processing, some of which could protect the brain.

Breno Barbosa says that food is another aspect of the lifestyle that affects health as a whole. He highlights the importance of studying the Mediterranean diet, which has shown the benefits for neurons of balanced meals, rich in nutrients, with a high consumption of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, white meat and grains.

For the specialist, preventing dementia spans a lifetime. Literacy, even in childhood, is crucial for good aging. Promoting adequate schooling is a way of protecting the increasingly older population from the harm caused by dementia. Although we cannot fight age, it is possible to age in a healthy way and with quality of life.

The researcher also draws attention to the many fake news that have emerged about dementia, especially Alzheimer’s. He points out that there is no consistent evidence in favor of the use of omega 3, statins, vitamins and ginkgo biloba. The Brazilian Academy of Neurology, of which the neurologist is a member, has made an effort to combat misinformation through social media.

This Thursday (21st) is World Alzheimer’s Day. The date was established at the opening of the ADI (Alzheimer’s Disease International) annual conference, in Edinburgh, Scotland, on September 21, 1994, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this international federation.