Dementia terrifies us all. No one wants to live through it, and no one wants to see their loved ones live through it. Unfortunately, almost 13 million Americans are expected to have dementia by 2050, and it is already the fifth-leading cause of death among older adults, with mortality rates from Alzheimer’s more than doubling over the past quarter-century. The trend is real, and it’s scary. But research suggests that we can do more than sit back in fear about a possibly unpleasant future. By taking care of our bodies and brains, we can help tip the scale toward preventing dementia.
Often when we think of how to protect our brain health, we think about exercise, diet, or doing brain teasers like Sudoku and crossword puzzles. Without question, those things play a major role in brain health, but it’s easy to forget about some of the most important factors, which are the toxins to which we expose our bodies. The brain is a highly sensitive organ with a high degree of blood flow, so what gets into our lungs gets into our bloodstreams and very often makes its way to the brain, where it can have negative short- and long-term effects that may contribute to dementia risk. These include:
The air we breathe. It was once a mere hypothesis that air pollution was somehow linked to dementia risk. Now we have study after study underscoring this association. The exact mechanisms whereby particulate matter triggers brain changes that lead to dementia have yet to be fully explored, but the link is no longer controversial. A 2017 Translational Psychiatry paper found an 81% increased risk of cognitive decline among older women who had lived in areas of high concentrations of fine particulate matter. Not everyone can afford to move somewhere with cleaner air, but it’s wise to take air quality into account when contemplating a move. Also, today, there are ways we can promote clean air in our homes and in our communities through the choices we make.
Drinking. Consumed in anything beyond moderation, alcohol is not kind to the human brain. Anyone who has had a glass of champagne knows that you can feel the substance head straight for the brain after just a few sips. Once there, it slows our thinking, blunts our other cognitive functions, and, more importantly, damages neurons and connections in a more permanent way. Some experts now caution against consuming any amount of alcohol at all; but if you must drink, limit yourself to one drink per day if you’re a woman and two if you’re a man. That’s the current definition of “moderate” alcohol consumption.
Smoking. You’re probably aware that tobacco smoke harms your lungs. It also causes lasting damage to blood vessels throughout the body. When those organs are compromised, it becomes more difficult to transport blood to the brain, and an oxygen-deprived brain is at significantly increased risk of dementia. In fact, smokers have a 45% higher risk of developing dementia compared to non-smokers. This may be explained not just by the long-term effects of oxygen deprivation but also by smoking as a driver of stroke risk. Cigarette smoke triggers production of the amino acid homocysteine, which is implicated in both dementia and stroke. Quitting smoking is one of the smartest moves you can make to protect your brain health, along with avoiding secondhand smoke. If you live with a smoker, share your concerns about dementia risk with them.
It’s often said that heart health is brain health. The three main lifestyle factors often raised in discussions about to how to preserve heart health are just as critical when it comes to how to prevent dementia. They are:
When we do puzzles, read books, memorize things for fun, study languages, learn musical instruments, and participate in other cerebral challenges, we’re giving ourselves a good chance of staving off dementia. Such activities stimulate the production of beneficial brain chemicals. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, even found that cognitive activity is associated with reduced levels of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. There’s really no end to the opportunities we have to exercise our brains. Make it a point to build some brain work into your everyday routine, and then fill your idle moments and down time with mental puzzles and memorization challenges.
One of the risk factors for dementia is social isolation. There’s no question that all of us, whether introverts or extroverts, are social animals who require human connection to thrive. As life goes on, sometimes natural, organic opportunities to socialize become increasingly rare and we must go about forging connections more intentionally. If you don’t have friends or family who you could share a moment with or who can support you in time of need, then it’s time to get deliberate about seeking out new relationships. Senior centers, Facebook groups, meetups, clubs, sports leagues, places of worship, and the gym are all great places to start. Or just march into your nearest soup kitchen and volunteer to help. You will, without question, meet some very worthwhile people.
