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Seven Simple Meal Changes May Lower Dementia Risk
Confirmed
In Short: Emma Taylor, senior information officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Rebecca McManamon, a dietitian, explain how simple changes to meals can lower the risk of developing dementia.
Nearly one million people in the UK are currently living with dementia, a number expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040, according to The i Paper.
Research shows that nearly 40 percent of dementia cases are preventable through lifestyle modifications, and the 2024 Lancet Commission report highlights 14 modifiable risk factors that could delay or prevent nearly 45 percent of dementia cases.
Gregory Jicha, an Alzheimer’s expert, explains the role of cholesterol in brain health and suggests that certain cholesterol medications could be key to preventing dementia.
The MIND diet and Mediterranean diet are both linked to reduced risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
Regular physical exercise boosts brain health by increasing blood flow to the brain, supporting memory and learning, and reducing the risk of cognitive decline.
Experts recommend focusing on addressing potentially preventable brain risks rather than relying on blood tests, which are not yet ready for widespread use and are not recommended for symptom-free individuals.
What this adds
The study by Mass General Brigham found that older adults with high p-tau217 levels had a 38% risk of developing cognitive impairment within five years.
A large study found that people who reached middle age without high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking lived dementia-free for nearly 13 years longer than those with these conditions.
A recent study linked the use of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (NBP) to a 16% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
The analysis of 83 cohort studies found that muscle loss was consistently linked to higher dementia risk, while the relationship with body weight changed depending on age.
Background
New research suggests that muscle loss in middle age is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia.
What's confirmed
- Nearly one million people in the UK are currently living with dementia, a number expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040, according to The i Paper.
- Research shows that nearly 40 percent of dementia cases are preventable through lifestyle modifications, and the 2024 Lancet Commission report highlights 14 modifiable risk factors that could delay or prevent nearly 45 percent of dementia cases.
- Gregory Jicha, an Alzheimer’s expert, explains the role of cholesterol in brain health and suggests that certain cholesterol medications could be key to preventing dementia.
- The MIND diet and Mediterranean diet are both linked to reduced risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Regular physical exercise boosts brain health by increasing blood flow to the brain, supporting memory and learning, and reducing the risk of cognitive decline.
- Experts recommend focusing on addressing potentially preventable brain risks rather than relying on blood tests, which are not yet ready for widespread use and are not recommended for symptom-free individuals.
What's still developing
- Holidaymakers are choosing rival cities in other countries for the simple reason that it saves them money.
- Here, Emma Taylor, senior information officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Rebecca McManamon, a dietitian based in the south of England and a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, explain how to change your meals to lower the risk of getting dementia.
- While there isn’t a way to guarantee you won’t get dementia, there are actionable changes you can make that reduce your risk significantly, even if you have a genetic predisposition to developing Alzheimer’s or dementia.
- WASHINGTON – New blood tests that might predict Alzheimer’s years before symptoms begin may sound tantalizing for people who worry about later-in-life dementia.
- As for the symptom-free, a study led by Mass General Brigham researchers found older adults with very high p-tau217 levels had a 38% risk of developing cognitive impairment within five years, and a higher risk over 10 years.
- What everyone should do for brain health, no test needed A major trial last year found that healthier habits slowed age-related cognitive decline in older adults who were at increased risk of developing dementia.
- “Be very serious with your physician about the value of lowering it as early as possible for as many years as possible,” Coresh said.
- But doctors say they aren't quite ready yet — and besides, you don’t need a test before trying to lower your risk.
- Food and Drug Administration has cleared four blood tests to help doctors diagnose whether Alzheimer’s — not another kind of dementia or something else — is behind someone’s memory problems or other cognitive symptoms.
- Yet dementia specialists say people without symptoms also seek those tests even though they’re neither approved nor recommended for that population.
- One large study found people who reached middle age without high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking lived dementia-free for a lot longer — nearly 13 years longer — than people with all three of those common health problems in their 50s.
- Even delaying those risky conditions “has a huge payoff.” What Alzheimer’s blood tests can and can’t do Like many people who have watched a loved one succumb to Alzheimer’s, Mark Yost wonders about his own risk even though he doesn’t have symptoms.