You have the power to prevent dementia
Worried about losing your mind in your later years? Make a few lifestyle shifts now and you’ll significantly lower your risk for dementia, new research says.
A new report published in the medical journal the Lancet found that roughly 35 percent of dementia cases can be prevented through lifestyle adjustments.
Shifts run the gamut, from increasing education in early life to taking care of hearing loss and tackling obesity in midlife. Such changes were found to lower dementia risk by up to 20 percent.
Furthermore, people who quit smoking, treat their depression and increase their physical activity and social contact could reduce their risk of dementia by an additional 15 percent.
“Though it’s not inevitable, dementia is currently set to be the 21st century’s biggest killer,” Dr. Doug Brown, director of research at Alzheimer’s Society, says in a press release. “We all need to be aware of the risks and start making positive lifestyle changes.”