Making six simple lifestyle tweaks can cut your dementia risk, say experts - as diagnoses hit record high of almost 500,000 READ MORE: Dementia diagnoses hit record high of nearly 500,000 in England By John Ely Deputy Health Editor For Mailonline Published: 09:57 BST, 22 July 2024 | Updated: 10:02 BST, 22 July 2024 e-mail View comments Adopting six healthy lifestyle habits could slash your risk of developing dementia, research suggests. Experts also said benefits could be achieved from getting just ten minutes exercise a day — half of what is recommended. Dementia, a condition where the function of the brain is impacted robbing sufferers of the memories and independence, is on the rise.
In England alone, the number of diagnoses has risen to 487,432 as of June this year, a rise of 12 per cent compared to January. Rising rates are thought to be down to a combination of an ageing population, increased awareness of symptoms leading to more people seeking a test, and increased prevalence of the risk factors that can lead to dementia. Hundreds of participants were judged on how healthy their life was, logging a score of between zero and six based on all the different factors.
Volunteers who didn't break a sweat for at least ten minutes a day for three or four days a week got nothing. The other lifestyle habits related to alcohol consumption, smoking status and quality of sleep. Social interaction and having hobbies were the other two factors Around 900,000 Brits are currently tho.