Lifestyle changes such as eating less, keeping active and cutting out alcohol and cigarettes could halve the risk of dementia, study reveals

Half of dementia cases could beryllium prevented if group adopted healthier and much environmentally-friendly lifestyles, a study will uncover this week.

A landmark insubstantial owed to beryllium published connected Wednesday will uncover that it is easier for individuals to protect themselves from illness than galore believe.

The Lancet Commission connected Dementia will database 14 manner and biology factors that tin beryllium altered to trim nan consequence of dementia.

It is expected opportunity that astir half of dementia cases are down to these factors.

By eating less, keeping active, cutting retired alcohol and cigarettes and exercising nan brain, it is imaginable for group to return their destiny into their ain hands moreover if they are astatine precocious familial risk.

A abstracted study presented astatine nan aforesaid convention yesterday showed a caller humor trial could foretell Alzheimer's pinch 90 per cent accuracy, which is much precise than existent methods.

The breakthrough could thief amended diagnoses, allowing much patients to entree caller narcotics that are much effective erstwhile taken successful nan early stages of disease.

Hilary Evans-Newton, main executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'People still deliberation that dementia is inevitable - location is this thought that you are either going to get it aliases you are not, and there's thing you tin do astir that.

'But location are things you tin do each nan measurement done your life to trim your consequence of dementia and let you to unrecorded a longer, healthier life.'

The latest update will beryllium unveiled astatine nan Alzheimer's Association International Conference successful Philadelphia.

The erstwhile version of nan Lancet Commission, published successful 2020, listed 12 modifiable consequence factors: humor pressure, obesity, intoxicant intake, smoking, deficiency of exercise, diabetes, encephalon injury, societal isolation, proceeding loss, depression, keeping nan encephalon progressive and aerial pollution.

The weight of technological grounds successful this area has grown successful caller years and nan caller study is expected to spell further, nan Sunday Times reported. It will adhd 2 caller manner and wellness consequence factors and telephone for governments to intervene astatine an earlier shape to thief group trim their risk.

Neurologists person recovered that utilizing nan encephalon for abstract, high-level reasoning passim a life provides protection against immoderate aspects of dementia.

The mentation that this 'cognitive reserve' whitethorn thief group ward disconnected dementia, peculiarly successful nan early stages, is 1 that has sparked a activity of 'brain training' apps and programmes.

Nearly a cardinal group successful nan UK are thought to person dementia, pinch diagnoses astatine a grounds level, according to information published past week.

This week's study is expected to propose that successful astatine slightest 40 per cent of cases nan onset of dementia could beryllium delayed aliases avoided altogether pinch changes to manner and environment.

Sarah Kennedy, 54, from Orkney, gave up her occupation arsenic a lodging support serviceman to support her 2 parents pinch dementia.

She said: 'I ne'er want my kids to person to unrecorded done what I person pinch my ain parents.

'They person been joined astir 60 years. It has been a very strong, loving matrimony - but now they don't really cognize each other.' Her familial inheritance intends she is astatine accrued consequence of processing nan illness but is wished to do what she tin to trim her risk.

She added: 'There's a large opportunity present because nan world has changed successful nan past 10 years erstwhile it comes to dementia science, but I don't deliberation our wellness strategy has caught up.

'At nan infinitesimal we are trying to dainty and support group astatine nan very extremity stages of this condition, often erstwhile they are astatine situation point.

'We request to rethink this - and I deliberation prevention is key.' She called for nan NHS to do overmuch much to amended patients astir nan nexus betwixt dementia and wider wellness factors.

'There needs to beryllium a spot of a reboot of really we do that,' she said.

'People deliberation it's destiny - but actually, location are things that you tin do. Looking forward, it's astir what I tin do for myself and what I tin do for my children.'