Want To Prevent Dementia? This Body Part Might Have An Outsized Role

Around 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, according to the NHS.The condition is linked to damage in the brain, which affects people’s memory. Yet up to 45% of our risk could be determined by lifestyle factors like not smoking and drinking less, according to The Lancet’s commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care.That’s because the brain doesn’t work in isolation. Some researchers have associated worse organ health with higher incidences of depression, for instance.And a paper published in 2023 is one of many to suggest a link between taking care of one organ in particular and decreased dementia risk, especially at a younger age. Heart health could be key to dementia preventionThe paper, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, looked at data from over 430,000 people in the UK Biobank.It found coronary heart disease was linked to a 13% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 78% risk of developing vascular dementia (after Alzheimer’s, this is the most common form of the condition in the UK, which is linked to blood flow). But when people were diagnosed with heart disease before the age of 45, they were even more likely to get dementia, the researchers found. Dr Fanfan Zheng, the study’s lead author, shared: “What surprised us most was the linear relationship between age of coronary heart disease onset and dementia.“This shows the huge detrimental influence of premature coronary heart disease on brain health.”It’s far from the only link between heart health and dementia Multiple studies have linked untreated high blood pressure to dementia. Having too much “bad” cholesterol has also been linked to stroke and deposits of amyloid and tau proteins, both linked to dementia.Men with a high cardiovascular risk may be especially at risk and researchers have highlighted “the importance of aggressively targeting cardiovascular risk factors before the age of 55 years to prevent neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease”. In a press release, the American Heart Association’s former president, neurologist Dr Mitchell Elkind, said: “We now know that many of the same health risk factors that cause heart disease and stroke also contribute to a decline in overall brain health.”The expert recommended following the American Heart Association’s Life Essential 8 rules for both brain and heart benefits. These are:Staying activeGiving up smokingGetting enough sleepStaying at a healthy weightControlling your cholesterolManaging your blood sugarManaging your blood pressure.Related...5 Dementia Prevention Rules A Neurologist Lives ByNeurologist Shares The 1 Sleep Change That Could Reduce Dementia RiskIs Forgetting The Odd Word Normal Ageing Or A Sign Of Dementia?

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