Here are the 12 ways to drastically reduce your risk of dementia

Dementia is a slow and progressive decline in cognitive functions, including impairment of memory, thinking, judgment and learning. The World Health Organization says it affects around 50 million people worldwide. According to one study, it is indeed possible to significantly reduce the risk of developing this disorder.

12 factors that can trigger dementia

According to this study, the main factors that can trigger dementia are: smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, head trauma, depression, hearing loss, exposure to air pollution, lack of exercise, education and social contact.

According to several experts, it is possible to prevent or delay up to 40% of cases of dementia in the world by paying attention to these factors, for example by reducing the consumption of alcohol or cigarettes, or by avoiding practice sports that could lead to head injuries.

David Ames, researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia and co-author of the study published in the journal The Lancet, indicates that this is true even for the elderly. ” It’s never too early and it’s never too late to think about reducing your risk “, he said. However, his colleagues indicate that preventing dementia by changing lifestyle may no longer work at a very old age, because the brain begins to shut down.

How to reduce the number of cases of dementia?

To reduce cases of dementia, the authors of the study also recommend that governments take adequate measures. They recommend in particular to better educate children, not only on the different aspects of the disorder, but also on the right behaviors to adopt in order to avoid it.

In some wealthy countries, including the UK, the US and France, the number of older people with dementia has declined markedly in recent years, no doubt due to improvements in education, nutrition and health. On the other hand, many cases are still found in middle or low-income countries.