Does your lifestyle put you at higher risk of dementia?

Many of us have heard of dementia: symptoms can affect language, mood and behaviour. Dementia may also appear as a decline in thinking abilities, such as memory, planning, judgement and awareness of place and time.

What many may not realize is that adjusting certain aspects of our lifestyle can help reduce our risk of developing dementia.

Although there is currently no cure for dementia, and some risk factors cannot be modified, like genetics, there are many things you can do throughout your life to help reduce your risk of developing dementia. Several studies suggest that adopting healthy behaviours may help delay the onset of symptoms or lower your risk of developing dementia.

Some of the healthy habits you can adopt that can make a difference include being physically active, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, reducing stress, and staying connected to others.

Not only can these habits help reduce your risk of dementia, they can also help lower your chances of developing other health conditions that are linked to a higher risk of dementia, such as diabetes, mid-life obesity and hypertension.

A 2016 study across several developed countries found that individuals who are obese before the age of 65 years have a 41 per cent increased risk of developing dementia, while a 2017 study in the US showed that participants with midlife hypertension have a 57 per cent increased risk.

As these studies show, staying healthy is not only good for your body, it’s good for your mind. Simple changes today can improve your life well into the future.