A study by the University of Oxford has shown what the three are risk factors for dementia. You can read the results in the scientific journal Nature Communications. According to researchers from the prestigious British research center they are:
diabetes,
exposure to polluted air,
alcohol abuse.
The working group analyzed data from brain scans of around 40,000 adults. The experts first reviewed non-modifiable genetic factorssuch as vascular problems and the immune response and then 161 modifiable risk factors for dementia. Lately, studies have been focusing on a particularly early diagnosis.
What are modifiable risk factors?
Modifiable risk factors have been divided into 15 categories:
blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, weight, alcohol consumption, smoking, depression, inflammation, pollution, hearing, sleep, socialization, diet, physical activity, education.
Which areas of the brain age fastest?
At this point they studied how these factors influence the different regions of the brain, particularly connected with the development of dementia. In this way they made the list of the most important modifiable risk factors to keep under control during one’s life to keep cognitive function as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
The main brain areas taken into consideration by the study were called “last in, first out”. Experts named them that way because they are the last to develop during adolescence and the first and fastest to degenerate with aging. They are regions responsible for processing information through the five senses and constitute an essential network in carrying out tasks, but also for attention and memory. As mentioned, these are areas particularly susceptible to aging, but also to Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.
What are the other important risk factors besides the main three?
The analysis of all these factors and their impact on these areas of the brain has made it possible to understand that diabetes, the levels of nitrogen dioxide we breathe and alcohol abuse are the three modifiable risk factors that have the greatest impact on the health of neurons, brain cells. The result leaves no room for doubt. This triad of factors doubles the risk of cognitive declinecompared to the other modifiable factors analyzed by scholars.
In fourth place we find the quality and duration of sleep, followed from being overweight, smoking cigarettes and blood pressure.
The study demonstrates once again that a lot can be done in the prevention of important chronic diseases such as neurodegenerative ones. Researchers underline how almost 4 cases of dementia out of 10 can be prevented with correct lifestyles.