Preventing Dementia (4)

During Week 4 of my “Preventing Dementia” Course we learnt about a healthy and active mind.

·         Social engagement is considered to decrease the incidence of dementia.

·         Social engagement requires the brain to access several areas and often as there can be new experiences or meetings this helps cause extra stimulation.

·         How long and often the social engagement has to occur has not been researched yet, however it is agreed that the social engagement should take place outside the home

·         Depression is one of the major risk factors for dementia. It is thought prolonged levels of cortisol (a hormone your body makes when you are depressed) causes damage to the brain that later leads to dementia.

·         It is possible in some older people that depression is actually the beginning of Alzheimer’s however depression during midlife has been shown to be a major risk for later dementia

·         Education is one of the most significant modifiable risk factors for dementia.

·         People who leave school at a younger age are shown to have a higher incidence of dementia.

·         Interestingly it is thought there may be a “cognitive reserve” so people who have studied more have a higher level of cognition/neural connections. They may have the same level of neuron death as Alzheimer’s sufferers but they have no clinical features.

·         The study does not necessarily have to be at a university, people with challenging jobs particularly in management positions, have less dementia as they are exposed to new situations every day.

·         It is better if the education is something new- the more challenging, the more neural pathways are stimulated.

·         A researcher by the name of Michael Venezuela has developed a “Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire” Using it and functional MRI he was able to show brain degeneration over time was much less in people who have lead a mentally stimulating life.

·         It has been hypothesized that general anaesthesia may be a risk factor for dementia however to date this has not been demonstrated through research.

·         Repetitive brain injury is thought to increase the risk of dementia. American football players, ice hockey players, boxers and war veterans have been demonstrated to develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition with dementia-like symptoms.

·         A healthy diet is important for a healthy brain, although no specific supplements have been demonstrated to help dementia. It is thought fish oil, vitamin B6 and B12, folic acid and Vitamin D are beneficial but these also help maintain vascular health (a risk factor for dementia).

·         It has been shown a mediterranean diet lowers the risk of dementia, so fish and chicken at least twice a week, olive oil instead of butter, lots of fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains, legumes and nuts and low consumption of red meat (again this diet is good for vascular health).

·         Here’s a happy thought – moderate alcohol consumption is shown to actually lower the risk of dementia compared to non-drinkers (moderate means no more than 2 standard drinks per day)

·         Stress(prolonged) is thought to increase your risk of dementia.