This page offers links to some useful material for understanding risk factors for dementia, and how to prevent it, and is for the convenience of readers who are trying to make simple everyday choices. The page does not discuss leads on possible directions for diagnosis or treatment; persons interested in staying in touch with the latest, cutting edge research (some links for this suggested below).
- Data on risk factors and prevention, as available on sites
- Suggestions on evaluating media reports related to Alzheimer’s/ dementia research findings
- Some interesting studies/ claims
Data on risk factors and prevention, available on standard sites
Alzheimer’s Association, USA, describes the three main risk factors for Alzheimer’s as age, family history and heredity, which cannot be changed, and also suggests factors that can be changed. The explanation of the risk factors and how to understand the genetic component is available on this page: Risk factors for Alzheimer’s, which lists the major factors that we can control. It explains the current thinking on the complex interactions that cause Alzheimer’s, and suggests working on avoiding head trauma, maintaining good heart health, and using general strategies for overall healthy aging, such as proper diet, exercise, social connectedness, and avoiding tobacco and excess alcohol, while trying to avoid diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. More detailed suggestions for each category are also available: Prevention of Alzheimer’s.
The USA National Institute of Aging’s ADEAR has a report on the current understanding at: 2010 Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Report: A Deeper Understanding.
The Alzheimer’s International site has a section on whether Alzheimer’s can be prevented: view it here. . There is also a page on Risk Factors.Again, the page emphasizes that not enough is known about the causes to recommend specific preventive measures, but a healthy lifestyle is likely to reduce the risk. Practical tips are also available from Alzheimer’s Canada and in a campaign in Scotland. Alzheimer’s Australia also has a page on risk factors and prevention.
To keep in touch with research, you can subscribe to the newsletter of alz.org, or follow its blog or the Alzheimer’s Insight blog. Frequent updates can also be obtained by subscribing to, or checking up the Science Daily site’s mind and brain pages or their dementia pages. When reading cutting-edge findings, it is worth remembering that it takes many years for preliminary research claims to translate into usable medicines or detection methods that can be used.
Suggestions on evaluating media reports related to Alzheimer’s/ dementia research findings
While newspapers and magazines often carry reports of apparently sensational studies, they also often carry contradictory reports a few days later, which gets very confusing for persons who want to decide what they should do. Additionally, newspapers tend to sensationalize claims of a single study, but it often takes multiple rigorous studies for scientists to be really sure that some action is usefu, and it therefore makes sense for someone making a choice based on a report to verify a claim before making major changes based on it..
For recommendations on herbs and alternate medicines, here are some useful ways to verify claims: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a US Government agency for scientific research, has made available data on diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine. Visit their site. Two especially useful pages at the site are: Herbs at a glance and Health A to Z. A pictorial depiction (may not be up-to-date or fully correct) is here. Here is an additional link that suggest criteria to evaluate evidence: Does Drug X Really Work? Evaluating Medical Evidence.
Also, when reading a report, depend more on the abstract of the paper rather than the newspaper presentation, as media reports often skip the disclaimers and limitations of the study. Often, the abstracts can be seen by visiting the site of the journal that purportedly published the paper; use the search facility to locate the paper.
Some interesting studies/ claims
Here are some recent studies that could be worth checking out while making life choices. Please note that reports of studies and published newspaper articles often make claims that certain lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of dementia, but there is no certain way to prevent or delay dementia, and research is still underway for solutions. Some reports on possible correlations may help us know who is more vulnerable for dementia, or alert us about symptoms that could be an early indication of dementia.
Tobacco use and dementia: The International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, published the results of a study that concludes: “Dementia in developing countries appears to be positively associated with history of tobacco smoking but not smokeless tobacco use. Selective quitting in later life may bias estimation of associations.” The abstract can be read here: Tobacco use and dementia: evidence from the 1066 dementia population-based surveys in Latin America, China and India.
Brain plasticity, memory training, and dementia:
A study by Dr. Sylvie Belleville claims that brain plasticity can be improved using memory training, to delay onset of Alzheimer’s. The study is reported here: Cognitive Training May Delay Onset Of Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms Through Brain Plasticity and here and the abstract of the paper can be read here: Training-related brain plasticity in subjects at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This may affect choices on what people do to keep cognitively active, and ties in with general recommendations already made by various Alzheimer’s national organizations. On the other hand, a null result was reported here but researchers still recommend remaining cognitively active anyway, as part of brain health.
Bilingualism and dementia : Recent reports from Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute claim that speaking two languages can help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms by as much as five years. The abstract of the paper, published on Nov 9, 2010, in Neurology, can be read here: Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease: bilingualism as a form of cognitive reserve. This could be good news in India, where many people know multiple languages and can therefore choose to actively speak more than one language and acquire the claimed protection.
Good cholesterol and dementia: Apparently a higher level of “good” cholesterol is protective against Alzheimer’s. Read the abstract of the published paper: Association of Higher Levels of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Elderly Individuals and Lower Risk of Late-Onset Alzheimer Disease
Hearing loss and dementia: A study conducted at John Hopkins and published in Neurology, has concluded that hearing loss is independently associated with incident all-cause dementia, but also suggests further study is required to see whether hearing loss is a marker for early-stage dementia or is actually a modifiable risk factor for dementia. The abstract of the published study is available at the archives of Neurology, here: Hearing Loss and Incident Dementia. Apparently, staying alert on hearing loss may help early diagnosis.
Vitamin D and dementia: The Alz.org blog mentions a study where researchers claim there is a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia later in life. Read the blog entry here.
Diet and other correlation highlights from annual Alzheimer’s conference:According to this discussion on New Research Advances from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease 2010, a variety of factors may modulate risk of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline, including physical activity, tea and coffee, vitamin D, an antioxidant-rich diet with walnuts, and an obesity gene known as FTO. (another reference is here: Large-Scale, Long-Term Studies Support Roles of Physical Activity and Diet in Dementia and Cognitive Decline
. You can also check the current status of individual recommendations at NCCAM (see their page: Herbs at a glance) based on current studies. It is also possible that some diet elements claimed to be good for dementia are also beneficial for other health conditions, and may be natural additions to a diet (see, for example, this report on beetroot juice), but watch out for toxic effects if a particular choice is overdone.
