By the way ... We should make 2017 the Year of the Brain

THIS was the year in which dementia overtook heart disease as a cause of death in England and Wales.

It is a serious problem, but waiting for science to come up with an effective drug is not going to help those of us who are alive now, because the research needed into any potential new treatments will just take too long.

It is time for a new approach, one which must focus on prevention. As I see it, this is up to each and every one of us.

Research suggests that the brain damage which leads to dementia starts ten or even 20 years before signs of the disease become apparent. And once brain cells die, they cannot regenerate. Prevention must start when people are young, ideally in their 20s and 30s.

This is a hard message to drive home, because this age group still feels invincible. But even if you are beyond this age, there is much circumstantial evidence that there are measures you can take to help prevent further decline. Some of these are the same as those needed to lower the risk of heart disease: regular physical exercise and the Mediterranean diet of fresh fruit, nuts, vegetables and olive oil, along with control of body weight and high blood pressure.

Not only do these help guard against the accumulation of the fatty deposits (called atheroma) that can clog the coronary arteries, there is little doubt that they also protect the brain.

Meanwhile, studies have shown that having high levels of a chemical called homocysteine in the blood increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It seems that high levels may lead to damage of the lining of blood vessels, which can result in atheroma formation.

So if any tests apart from body weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol are worth doing, then it’s your homocysteine levels (your GP may be able to do this).

Research from Oxford some years ago showed that taking high doses of B vitamins can lower homocysteine levels and slow brain tissue shrinkage (a hallmark of Alzheimer’s).

It was hoped this might protect brain function, but sadly more recent research has found that this does not seem to result in a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. However, it is an ongoing area of research, and it seems to me there is nothing to be lost by taking the B vitamins — specifically, folic acid (B9), B6, and B12.

For while we may not know the exact cause of the brain changes that lead to cell death and dementia, and there are almost certainly multiple factors, we do know that there are ways to delay or even prevent the process.

So, whatever your age, make 2017 the Year of the Brain.