Adopting four healthy lifestyle habits might slash your chances of developing dementia, new research suggests.
Senior citizens can lower their chances of developing the condition by 10 percent for each one they follow — that’s 40 percent in total.
They are refusing to smoke, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and sticking to a nutritious diet.
Their diet should contain at least three portions of fruit and vegetables a day, as well as fish twice a week.
Having low levels of “bad” cholesterol and normal blood sugar levels and blood pressure also reduce the risk by 10 percent each.
We already know that these are good for heart health, lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Charities say the findings show “what is good for the heart is also good for the brain.”
Scientists from Bordeaux University in France looked at data on 6,626 people age 65.
They tracked them for an average of 8.5 years, during which time 754 developed the degenerative disease.
“These findings may support the promotion of cardiovascular health to prevent risk factors associated with cognitive decline and dementia,” said study lead Dr. Cecillia Samieri.
Dr. Sara Imarisio, from Alzheimer’s Research UK, advised that people adopt a healthy lifestyle as soon as possible.
“Although age is the largest risk factor for dementia, the condition is not an inevitable part of getting older,” she said.
“There are things we can all do to help reduce our risk. Staying healthy doesn’t have to mean running marathons or sticking to intense diets.”
“Modest changes in lifestyle can have a big impact on our health in the long term.”
There are two main groups dementia can be split into: cortical, which causes severe memory loss like that seen in Alzheimer’s, and sub-cortical, which affects thinking speed and activity as seen with Parkinson’s disease.
Vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s are two of the most common forms of the disease and they both cause problems with memory. Both are rare in those under 65 years old.