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The more we learn about dementia, the greater our chances of delaying or managing the onset of the condition. Many of the factors known to impact the severity of the disease are already known. They include aspects of our lifestyle that we have a degree of control over, such as protecting our hearing, or maintaining physical fitness in mid to late life and avoiding smoking. While these alterations are sensible for a healthy life in general, they are particularly important for those who might have a genetic predisposition for dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.
The Lancet Commission on Dementia Intervention, Prevention and Care listed nine factors that directly impact the disease in 2017. At the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference this year, they extended the list.
In addition to controlling obesity, blood pressure, diabetes, hearing loss, increasing the level of education in earlier life, keeping physically fit, seeking help for depression, reducing social isolation, and quitting smoking, twenty-eight world leaders in dementia research have linked excessive alcohol consumption, head injuries and air pollution to their reports.
Most of these issues can be managed by individuals, but not everyone has the luxury to move to a location to assure good air quality, especially when their report states that approximately 50 million people are…