Preventing Dementia: Tips Against Alzheimer's & Co

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease can only be prevented to a limited extent. Although lifestyle also has a significant impact on health, there is no such thing as absolute safety against dementia. Risk factors such as genetic predisposition and age also play a role in developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Dementia cannot be prevented with the following tips. You can certainly influence your risk of developing dementia using the factors mentioned.

1. Prevention through regular exercise

Exercise is the best medicine and should effectively protect against cognitive decline. The World Health Organization recommends moving a lot in daily life and exercising. Even in people who are already mentally disabled, moderate exercise and exercise are supposed to reduce symptoms. Exercise and moderate exercise also increase blood flow to the brain, which means improved brain function and cell nutrition.

Tip: Build small, low-threshold exercise modules into your daily life, for example, walking for 20 minutes after lunch, riding a bike to work or exercising for 10 minutes every morning. This way, you can do something good for your entire body without having to bulk yourself up in big gym units.

2. Quit cigarettes and alcohol

According to the World Health Organization, tobacco consumption should be avoided completely, as it increases the risk of mental decline as well as other health disadvantages. It is also said that excessive and regular consumption of alcohol promotes the development of dementia.

3. Prevention by following a healthy diet

The traditional Mediterranean diet has proven to be particularly healthy. It consists of lots of vegetables, fish and good fats. In general, a healthy and balanced diet should be the basis for every adult, so that nutritional supplements are not required. These medications should only be used if your doctor has diagnosed a specific deficiency, such as vitamin D, iron, or vitamin B12. Otherwise, it's important to eat as much fresh, unprocessed foods as possible, avoiding refined grains and sugar if possible, and ideally getting 500g of vegetables daily.

According to researchers, the so-called MIND diet is also particularly beneficial for our brain health. The diet combines the best of the Mediterranean diet with insights from diets designed to lower high blood pressure. Foods that should be eaten frequently, preferably daily, include:

Leafy vegetables

Nuts and berries

Bean

Whole grains

Fish and poultry

olive oil

4. Be socially active

While there is still insufficient evidence that social activity reduces risk factors for dementia, social participation and support are closely linked to good health and well-being. The world's healthiest 100-year-olds in the so-called Blue Zones show again and again how important social interaction and belonging to a community are.

5. Avoid weight gain

It is explicitly recommended to reduce excess weight and above all obesity (obesity) in order to maintain mental activity and performance. At the same time, normal weight reduces the risk of other diseases that can occur in old age, such as cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes.

6. Fight high blood pressure

The World Health Organization assumes that high blood pressure increases the risk of dementia, which is why it is important to treat it. In addition to a low-salt diet, regular exercise and some medications also help lower blood pressure.

7. Control blood sugar well

Whether through medication or lifestyle changes, for example with a healthy diet and exercise, diabetes should always be treated – also to prevent dementia. Because diabetics have an approximately 50 percent increased risk of suffering from mental decline. The reason for this has not yet been definitively clarified, but researchers hypothesize that sugar metabolism in the brain could be disturbed in diabetes, promoting the development of Alzheimer's disease.

8. Prevention by stimulating your brain regularly

Our brain is a muscle that must be exercised regularly. For this reason, you should stimulate your brain regularly. Activities such as learning a new language, doing crosswords or jigsaw puzzles, reading, dancing, or playing music keep your brain cells busy. This is due to the formation of new connections between neurons, which makes the brain more efficient and can therefore reduce the risk of dementia.

Regular medical examinations

Early detection of diseases such as diabetes or heart disease can help reduce risk factors for dementia. Circulatory disorders that can lead to vascular dementia can also be identified and treated early through regular checkups with a doctor. Preventive examinations can certainly help reduce the risk of strokes and cerebral infarction, the consequences of which are often dementia, memory loss, poor concentration, and the like.

What effect does my environment have on my risk of dementia?

The World Health Organization has identified a number of potential risk factors that are likely to have an impact on the development of dementia. This includes, for example, the air quality we are exposed to every day. Air pollution appears to have a negative impact on brain health.

Studies have shown that long-term exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of developing neurological diseases such as dementia.

Particulates and other pollutants in polluted air, when inhaled, can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. These reactions can damage the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from harmful substances. When this barrier is damaged, pollutants can enter the brain and damage brain cells.

In the long term, this damage can lead to cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia. Links have also been found between air pollution and other neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease and stroke.

However, it is important to note that more research is needed to understand the exact mechanisms by which air pollution increases the risk of dementia.