WeeklySA_AdminPRIORITY: Research highlights the influence of lifestyle changes that will mitigate the risk, while current reports indicate that “someone in the world develops dementia every 3 seconds”…
By Debora Van Brenk
Many people could greatly improve their odds against developing dementia by making four, low-cost lifestyle changes, Western researchers have discovered.
There are over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This number will almost double every 20 years, reaching 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050. Much of the increase will be in developing countries.
Already 60% of people with dementia live in low and middle income countries, but by 2050 this will rise to 71%. The fastest growth in the elderly population is taking place in China, India, and their south Asian and western Pacific neighbours.
The WHO has declared dementia a global priority, with the body estimating that “someone in the world develops dementia every 3 seconds”.
In the first study of its kind, researchers at Lawson Research Institute (Lawson) and Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry found about half of dementia cases in Canada can be influenced by 12 lifestyle factors. Topping the “dirty dozen” list across Canadians’ lifespans, and especially notable from midlife onwards, are physical inactivity, hearing loss, obesity and hypertension.
While lifestyle changes aren’t a magic pill to prevent all dementias, they’re an empowering way to reduce the overall risk,” said Surim Son, study lead author and Ph.D. candidate at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and Lawson
“We’re talking about significant benefits to Canadian health and health systems.”
The findings could also have profound implications in refocusing health-policy priorities. The Public Health Agency of Canada is already highlighting the study as part of its resources for national health policy advisors, she noted.
This study is the first to weigh Canadians’ lifestyles and habits against 12 potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, and the first globally to include sleep disruption on the list.
Son’s paper, published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, builds on a 2017 study in the Lancet that shows 12 modifiable risk factors throughout the course of life could contribute to 40% of dementias around the world.
But Canada’s numbers are considerably higher because more of us indulge in weightier lifestyle risks. For example, four of every five older Canadian adults don’t exercise regularly, one in three is obese or has hypertension and one in five has hearing loss.
“If half of the dementia cases in Canada are linked to modifiable lifestyle risk factors, this suggests that, today, prevention may be the most effective form of treatment,” said Dr Manuel Montero-Odasso, co-researcher and Schulich professor in the departments of medicine and epidemiology and biostatistics. He’s also the director of the Brain & Gait Lab at St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute.
“Dementia doesn’t have to be your destiny, even if that’s part of your genetic story. Our results show almost everyone can change their risk factors and improve their cognitive resilience.”
Montero-Odasso advice is “Go out for a walk and keep moving. Get a hearing assessment. Keep your blood pressure in check. It’s low-cost and easy to implement. It’s good for your body health, even beyond improving your brain health and reducing your dementia risk.”
The 12 potential modifiable factors (based on a study of 30 000 Canadians over the age of 45, weighted from most significant factor to least:
· Physical inactivity; Hearing loss; Obesity; Hypertension; Traumatic brain injury; Depression; Less education in early life; Sleep disturbances; Diabetes; Smoking; Excessive alcohol; AND Social isolation.
It must be pointed that the weighting for other countries might well look slightly different from the order listed above, or even include peculiar and localised factors, when it comes to other countries.
Dementia is a growing concern for low- and middle-income countries where longevity is increasing and service provision is poor. Global prevalence estimates vary from 2% to 8.5% for those aged 60 years and older. There have been few dementia studies in sub-Saharan Africa, and prevalence data are lacking for South Africa.
In a study conducted in 2017 and titled “Dementia Prevalence in a Rural Region of South Africa: A Cross-Sectional Community Study”, the researchers spearheaded a large dementia prevalence study in a low-income rural population in South Africa.
The study concluded that dementia prevalence estimates were higher than expected for this low-income rural community. There was a need for increased dementia awareness and feasible support interventions. South Africa also needed further studies of regional prevalence, dementia subtypes, and modifiable risk factors in South Africa. – Additional reporting by WSAM Reporter
