COULD WORKING OUT HELP CUT RISK OF DEMENTIA?

A HEALTHY lifestyle can dramatically cut your risk of developing dementia by nearly a third — even if it runs in the family.

That’s the optimistic message delivered by the latest scientific research, which shows, experts say, that we are not doomed to develop dementia because of our genes.

Physical exercise, eating a balanced diet, not smoking and watching your alcohol intake are all important factors in reducing your risk, according to a team from Exeter University. Around 850,000 Britons live with dementia, which causes deterioration in memory, problemsolving, language and perception beyond what might be expected from normal ageing.

Dementia is caused by different diseases and injuries that damage the brain.

Several factors can influence whether a person develops dementia; age, gender, lifestyle and genes all

play a part. While most of these factors are outside our control, our lifestyles — and specifically, how active we are — can make a big difference to our risk, say scientists.

Several studies have focused on the dementia-protective benefits of regular physical exercise in middle aged or older people.

However until now it remained unclear whether lifestyle changes could have the same benefit for those whose genes predispose them to

dementia. Now the latest research suggests they do.

The Exeter study monitored 200,000 people in their 60s for eight years, and checked if they had genes that put them at risk of dementia.

The study found that those who reported adopting a healthy lifestyle — for example, they walked or cycled for two-and-a-half hours a week, ate more than three portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and rarely had processed meat or alcohol — had about a 30 per cent lower risk of dementia compared to those with an unhealthy lifestyle, regardless of a high or low genetic predisposition.

Cutting dementia rates by a third would have a huge impact in older age groups where significantly more people have dementia — potentially equating to hundreds of thousands of people, according to Professor David Llewellyn, an associate professor of neuroepidemiology and digital health, who led the Exeter study.