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About one in five Americans aged 65 or older currently has mild cognitive impairment, and one in seven has been diagnosed with dementia. If that sounds daunting, understand this: By 2050, the number of Americans with dementia is expected to triple, according to the authors of a scientific statement just released in the journal. Stroke.
Dementia, defined by the Alzheimer’s Association as a decrease in mental capacity enough to affect daily life, is a more expensive collection of conditions than heart disease or cancer, with global costs estimated at $ 818 billion in 2015 . (By the way, Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, and is a specific disease. Dementia is a common term for the category of this cognitive impairment.)
To try to prevent the decline, reduce the risk of stroke and more, the study authors suggest that all Americans should work with their physicians in primary care to monitor 13 factors that have proven links with brain health. These include Life American’s Simple 7 from the American Heart Association, plus six other factors:
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Managing blood pressure
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Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels
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Reducing blood sugar
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Increasing physical activity
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Eat a nutritious, balanced diet
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Lose weight if necessary
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Do not smoke
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Prevention or treatment of symptoms of depression, if present
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Reducing social isolation, if present
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Limit alcohol use
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Control of sleep disorders, if present
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Increasing education and keeping the brain active
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Treatment of hearing loss, if present
Related: The best foods for promoting brain health according to a dietitian
You should not wait until you are 65 to discuss these action items or to adopt healthier habits, states one of the authors of the statement Ronald M. Lazar, Ph.D., FAHA, the Evelyn F. McKnight Endowed Chair for Learning and Memory voor. in Aging and the director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama at the Birmingham School of Medicine.
“Prevention does not start at an older age; it exists alongside the continuity in health care from pediatrics to adulthood. The evidence in this statement shows that early attention to these factors improves life outcomes later,” says Lazar, who is also a professor in Neurology and Neurobiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Scientists are learning more about how to prevent cognitive decline before changes in the brain begin. We compiled the latest research and found that Life’s Simple 7 plus other factors such as sleep, mental health and education are a more comprehensive lifestyle strategy affecting the health of the brain optimizes in addition to cardiovascular health. ‘
A sharp, healthy brain is responsible for a wide range of tasks, all of which are crucial to thriving and managing independently throughout the world:
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Memory
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Think
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Reasoning
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Communication
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Troubleshooting
“Many people think of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and other risk factors as affecting only the health of the heart, but the same risk factors affect our brain health. Patients may be more likely to pay attention to the importance of adapting risk factors. speak if they understood the links, ‘says Lazar. “I gave lectures, and what people tell me is that they just want to lose their minds.”
Related: Why exercise is good for your mental health
So suggest this list to your doctor at your next examination and ask him or her if you can test or discuss all these important brain-impacting elements. However, you do not have to wait until then to make mental (and physical!) Well-being a priority.
Based on the 13-item checklist, consider it your brain-enhancing task – anything you can start today: