Can you GUESS who's most at risk of Dementia?

Now take my quiz to check how healthy your brain is...

Over recent years I have dedicated my time to distilling the best evidence-based brain research available in the world of neuroscience and human performance, and using these findings to guide my patients.

I have used this wealth of information to compile a quiz which will help you assess your risk factors for brain decline.

My quiz highlights all the potential risk factors for which there is good evidence, and also the risks that researchers have been exploring and believe will be proven important in the future.

the patterns of your answers will start to show you the important role your behaviour plays in your brain health now and in the future. It will also highlight areas you might want to change.

Knowing and understanding your daily habits and their impact on your brain health will arm you with the information and insight you need to guide your efforts to rebuild and maintain a better brain.

Answer yes or no to the questions:

1 DO you suffer from any brainrelated ailment now, or have you been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment?

2 Do you avoid strenuous exercise? 3 DO you sit down for most of the day? 4 Are you overweight or even obese? 5

ARE you a woman? 6 HAve you been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease? 7 DO YOU have high blood pressure, insulin resistance, diabetes or high cholesterol? 8 HAve you ever been diagnosed with Lyme disease, herpes or syphilis? Do you have chronic gum disease? 9

DO YOU take antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, blood pressure drugs, statins, proton pump inhibitors or antihistamines? 10 HAve you ever experienced a traumatic brain injury, suffered head trauma from an accident, played an impact sport (rugby, football, boxing) or ever been diagnosed with concussion? 11 DO you smoke or have a history of smoking? 12 Do you have a history of depression? 13 DO you have little social engagement with others? 14 DID your formal education stop at 16 or earlier? 15 IS your diet high in processed, sugary, fatty foods and low in wholegrains, fish, nuts, olive oil and fresh fruits and vegetables? 16 Do you live with chronic, unrelenting stress that leaves you struggling to cope? 17 DO you have a history of alcohol abuse? 18 Do you suffer from insomnia or sleep apnoea (heavy snoring which blocks your air supply), or do you sleep badly on a regular basis? 19 DO you suffer from hearing loss? 20 DoeS your day lack cognitive challenges in the form of learning something new or playing games that require a lot of thinking?

21 DOES your job lack complex work with people in the form of persuasion, mentoring, instruction or supervision? 22 Are you over the age of 65? 23 DOES Alzheimer’s disease run in your family? 24 Do you care for someone who suffers from some form of dementia?

WHAT YOUR ANSWERS MEAN

If you answered yes to five or more questions, I’m afraid your brain could already be in decline, or it may soon start to be so. But be reassured! you will benefit tremendously from the information in the series all this week.

Answering yes doesn’t mean you’ll receive a doomsday diagnosis now or in the future. Just as there are lifetime smokers who never get lung cancer, there will be people who live with many heightened risk factors for brain decline yet never experience it.

even if you answer yes to only one or two questions, there is so much you can do to optimise the health and performance of your brain right away.

Most of the risk factors in this quiz are modifiable, so don’t panic.

RISK FACTORS YOU CAN’T CHANGE

ScIentIStS are now clear about certain factors which might make cognitive decline more likely. Age is a factor (incidence of Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia increases exponentially after 65, nearly doubling every five years so that by 85 a third of people have dementia), and being a woman puts you at higher risk. Heredity plays a part; and you are statistically more likely to succumb to dementia if you are caring for someone else who has the disease (partly because many carers are women, some of whom set aside their own needs and experience high levels of stress). there’s lots of research underway into the impact of head injuries and the possible link with early dementia, too. It is interesting to note that some infections can lead to chronic inflammation that can have neurological effects, such as Lyme disease

(caused by a tick bite), the herpes simplex virus, zika (spread by mosquitoes), syphilis, rabies and even chronic gum disease. The theory is serious forms of neurodegenerative decline can stem from the body’s reaction to these infections, though research is ongoing.

But not everyone who has had a brain infection develops Alzheimer’s, and not everyone who gets dementia can attribute the condition solely to an infection.

RISK FACTORS YOU CAN CHANGE

You might not be able to reverse a Lyme disease diagnosis, but you can take really good care of your dental health to avoid gum disease.

You can stop smoking, cut back on alcohol consumption, seek help for depression and talk to your GP about the medications you might be taking (see box far left).

Even mild hearing loss can cause brain changes that can double your risk of dementia, but getting fitted with a hearing aid can help protect your brain.

Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a staggering amount of memory loss. But taking steps to improve your sleep quality is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve all brain functions.

Studies show that too much sitting, like smoking, increases the risk of ill‑health and thins regions of the brain that are critical for memory formation. The brain prefers a body in motion, and it doesn’t take much activity to reap enormous benefits. It has long been known that metabolic disorders such as obesity, high blood pres‑ sure, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol put you at greater risk of dementia. In fact, there is such a strong correlation between diabetes (particularly uncontrolled diabetes) and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease that Alzheimer’s is commonly referred to as ‘type 3 dia‑ betes’. But it is good to know that lifestyle changes can have a signifi‑ cant impact on both.

Leaving school at 16 might also put you in a higher risk category because multiple studies show that people with more years of formal education or greater literacy have a lower risk of the disease.

But, as I will show in tomorrow’s Daily Mail, you can make up for any educational deficit immediately and start bolstering your protection right away.