We may live longer, but as a result, those extra years are often accompanied by ill health and disease. There were around 944,000 people with dementia in the UK in January 2022, more than ever before, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK, and the number is expected to rise. It also showed that 49 percent of adults (and 60 percent of those over 65) say dementia is the health condition they fear most in the future.
“Dementia has many different causes,” says Professor Paul Matthews, head of brain science at Imperial College London School of Medicine. He is also the director of the British Dementia Research Institute (DRI). “The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, followed by vascular dementia in second place. Less common forms are frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Lewy body dementia.”
Professor Matthews says the biggest contributor to Alzheimer’s risk is the genes we inherit: “It’s not just passed down from parent to child, it’s the result of inheriting a combination of many genes and the type and way they interact.”
He emphasizes that about 70 percent of the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is due to genetic factors, and 30 percent are related to lifestyle and environment, which we can actively do something about.
One of the insidious aspects of dementia is that changes can occur long before they become symptoms. “We know that biochemical and cellular changes in the brain likely take place two decades, if not more, before the disease manifests itself in any form,” says Matthews.
With that in mind, what are the early warning signs to look out for and what lifestyle changes can we make to get the best results?
early predictors
Symptoms such as problems with forgetfulness (loss of keys, inability to remember names or faces), speech and attention are among the most common. But there are others. Matthews notes that these factors differ from natural age-related memory loss at the rate at which it occurs.
“In Alzheimer’s disease, language functions deteriorate much faster. And what we find in people with dementia is what we call “accelerated forgetfulness,” he says. However, there are also lesser known symptoms.
1. banking accidents
The U.S. National Institute on Aging reports on its website that money problems “may be one of the first noticeable signs of Alzheimer’s,” noting “difficulty counting change, paying for purchases, calculating tips, balancing a checkbook, or understanding banking.” “. . statement” as a sign.
A study of 81,000 Americans from 1999 to 2018 found that missed credit card payments can occur as early as six years before dementia is diagnosed, researchers say. financial times. Examples would be compulsive spending and missed payments or payments to anyone who asks, be it a legitimate request or a scam.
2. Frequent nightmares
A 2022 study published in eClinicalMedicine by The Lancet A journal run by Abidemi Otaikou, a neuroscience researcher at the University of Birmingham, found that children who regularly have nightmares between the ages of seven and eleven are almost twice as likely to have some form of cognitive impairment by age 50.
Middle-aged and older people with the same experience are also more than twice as likely to develop dementia in the future. Otaikou explains that the frequency of nightmares is largely determined by our genes, and one of the responsible genes is also associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Nightmares also disrupt the brain-restoring function of sleep. However, people should not panic because the numbers in this study are very small.
3. Inability to recognize lies and sarcasm
A 2011 study by the University of California, San Francisco linked the deterioration of parts of the brain to the inability to recognize insincere speech. The ability to detect lies is located in the frontotemporal lobe of the brain, so people with FTD cannot tell when someone is lying, while people with Alzheimer’s can.
However, people with FTD or Alzheimer’s also had a harder time understanding sarcasm. People with FTD often fall victim to online scams due to trust issues.
4. Look with “weakened eyes.”
An early sign of dementia can occur when someone has a blank stare, as some forms can interfere with the eye’s ability to track. Katherine Rankin, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at the UCLA Center for Memory and Aging, adds that they may skip lines when reading. These symptoms are obvious to others, but they themselves are not aware of them.
Professor Matthews also says that other vision problems can also occur, such as misinterpretation of a scene. “It’s called cortical blindness,” he says. “You’re looking at something but you’re missing some key elements because your brain doesn’t put the picture together correctly.” B. when climbing stairs.
5. Eating rancid and “non-food” foods
According to the British Alzheimer’s Society, uncharacteristic changes in eating habits and eating habits can be a sign of dementia. People may not recognize when food is moldy, or as dementia progresses, they may not recognize non-food items and try to eat them.
In addition, people with dementia are sometimes exposed to foods that are inconsistent with their usual beliefs or preferences. Someone who has been a vegetarian all their life may want to eat meat.
6. language problems
“It’s not about how words are pronounced, it’s about how they sound,” Matthews advises. He highlights how people can struggle with their vocabulary, find the right words, and how the structure of the grammar they use can become simpler.
“In Alzheimer’s disease, speech functions deteriorate much faster.”
What can you do
While much of the outcome is genetic, treating lifestyle factors can help people. Matthews notes that the presence of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, smoking, and excessive drinking may be causally linked to dementia. “Even in middle age, if people focus on causal risk factors, they can change them in useful ways.”
When you take good care of your heart by eating healthy, lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol, and exercising, it basically means that you are also taking good care of your brain.
arterial pressure
“There is strong evidence that high blood pressure is not only associated with dementia, but also causes dementia,” Matthews says. “Blood vessels in the brain play a critical role in clearing the brain of amyloid, a bad protein. These proteins produced in the brain will accumulate and we think they are toxic if they are not cleared through the blood vessels. When blood vessels are damaged, their ability to carry out this clearance is reduced. Matthews notes that the effect of good sleep on clearing these amyloid proteins from the brain is a hotly contested topic, but he doesn’t think it changes dementia risk in the same way that treatment for high blood pressure does.
Physical activity
“There is no doubt that more physical activity is associated with a lower risk of dementia,” Matthews says. He cites the FINGER study (a Finnish study of geriatric interventions for the prevention of cognitive impairment and disability) launched in 2009 by the Karolinska Institute, which showed that an intensive intervention aimed at getting an inactive group of older people at higher risk to play sports is significantly less led to dementia, about 30 years. percent less than in the control group.
Alzheimer’s Research UK recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week or 25 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week.
inflammation
Any form of chronic inflammation, such as that associated with gum disease or obesity, can be a causative factor in Alzheimer’s disease, Matthews notes. Inflammation in the body triggers the activation of the brain’s inflammatory system, which can reduce its ability to protect against dementia – an argument for good oral health and a healthy diet.
Alzheimer’s Research UK advises people to “stay awake” by engaging the brain in new activities and “stay connected” by keeping in touch with friends and family. The company’s website has a handy “Brain Health Check” tool to help you assess your risk and take steps to adapt.
“The beauty of the modern world is that we are living longer,” Matthews says. “It means taking more responsibility for your health, listening to what your GP says, getting regular checkups. We can do an awful lot. By adapting our work and life, we can minimize the impact of illness in order to live more comfortably and happily longer.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.