R esearchers have found that people whose genes put them at increased risk of dementia can reduce their chances of getting the condition if they follow seven habits for healthy living. It was already thought that a healthy lifestyle could cut the risk of dementia, but until now it has been less clear if this applied to people with genetic variants that make them more likely to develop the condition. The World Health Organization (WHO) says dementia is the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases worldwide and is responsible for millions of older people enduring disability and dependency.
With the proportion of older people increasing in almost every country, Alzheimer’s Disease International expects dementia cases to rise to 139 million by 2050 . A 2022 study from the American Academy of Neurology investigated whether people with a higher genetic risk could reduce their chances of getting the condition. Researchers followed almost 12,000 people for 30 years and scored them on how closely they followed the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Simple 7 – a list of lifestyle habits linked to good cardiovascular health (AHA has since added an eighth habit, sleep, and the list is now called Life’s Essential 8).
The seven habits are: 1. Manage your blood pressure. Keeping your blood pressure within a healthy range reduces the strain on your heart, arteries and kidneys.
2. Control cholesterol. High cholesterol contributes to plaque, which can clog arteries an.