Can lifestyle changes guard against dementia?

WASHINGTON – Seek a good education. Control blood pressure and diabetes. Get off the couch. There are some hints, but no proof yet, that these and other lifestyle changes just might help stave off dementia.

A provocative report in the British journal Lancet last Thursday raised the prospect that a third of dementia cases around the world could be delayed or even prevented by avoiding key risks starting in childhood that can make the brain more vulnerable to memory loss in old age.

A recent US report was much more cautious, saying there are encouraging clues that a few lifestyle changes can bolster brain health and that more research is critical. Still, it’s never too early to try,

Lancet lead author Gill Livingston, a psychiatry professor at University College London said.

“Although dementia is diagnosed in later life, the brain changes usually begin to develop years before,” she noted.

Early next year, a $20-million US study will begin rigorously testing if some simple day-to-day activities truly help older adults stay sharp.

“We are in a frustrating position science-wise in terms of options,” said cognitive neuroscientist Laura Baker of Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina, who will lead the new study to find out.

In the meantime, Alzheimer’s specialists said there’s little downside to following some commonsense recommendations.

Consider physical activity crucial for heart health. “If, in fact, it should also improve the prospects for cognitive function and dementia, all the better,” US National Institute on Aging director and avid exerciser Dr. Richard Hodes said.

“Increased health of the body supports increased health of the brain,” Baker added. –