Preventing Dementia (3)

During week 3 of my “Preventing Dementia “ course we learnt about modifying risks for dementia.

·         Vascular health plays a major role in the risk of dementia.

·         If the blood vessels of the heart are unhealthy, the ones of the brain are too. Poor blood supply in the brain is a major contributor to dementia

·         Vascular health is determined by high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and obesity.

·         People who have experienced strokes, heart failure or heart attacks are at significant risk of dementia in the future (don’t worry there are things you can do to improve it)

·         Diabetes is another major risk factor for dementia- Type 2 diabetes is a greater risk than type 1.

·         Diabetes has both an effect on the health of the blood vessels but also the energy available for the brain.

·         Type 1 diabetics are prone to periods of hypoglycaemia- more than 4 episodes of hypoglycaemia in a year have been shown to cause death to brain cells and significantly increase the rate of dementia

·         Type 2 diabetes tends to have insulin resistance which can damage the brain cells (neurons) but type 2 diabetes also affects the health of blood vessels

·         Physical exercise helps lower the risk of dementia- aerobic exercise is considered the best however strength training is also beneficial

·         Exercise should be at least 150 mins per week and each session should be greater than 10 mins.

·         Having physical exercise which also includes some brain function is even better ie: dancing. Altering your types of physical activity is better than doing the same exercise every time.

·         Research on older people actually showed brain growth in some areas during a 12 month exercise program

·         Smokers have a 34% greater chance of suffering dementia- it damages blood vessels and contains toxic chemicals that can kill brain cells.

·         Quitting smoking has been shown to have a positive effect on brain health almost immediately, after a period of time previous smokers can decrease their risk to the same as non-smokers.

·         There are several other minor risk factors for dementia – living within 50m of a high traffic road and consumption of artificial sweeteners.