Preventing Dementia

Dementia generally starts affecting the older population around age 65. It is caused by losing or damaging nerve cells, which affects connections in the brain. There are a wide variety of causes for dementia, which may be fearsome if you are approaching an older age.

However, there are some healthy hobbies and habits that will keep your mind active and body healthy. It's a common belief that dementia is inevitable as you get older, but this is actually not true. While there is no guaranteed cure or prevention method, there are some changes that you can incorporate into your lifestyle that have been scientifically proven to help prevent dementia. Incorporating these lifestyle changes may alleviate some fears and help keep you happy and healthy.

Your Diet Impacts your Mind

This may not come as a surprise, but eating healthy foods has been shown to lower the risk of dementia. Incorporating a “Mediterranean diet” is often stated as the best way to do this. To be clear, a Mediterranean diet doesn’t mean Mediterranean food. This diet simply has foods that are high in Omega fats and low in red meat and processed sugar. So make sure that you are eating whole grains, vegetables, oily fish, etc. Another important thing to do is take B vitamins. It hasn’t been proven to significantly alter brain cognition, but having high levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that breaks down protein, has been linked to heart disease and dementia. High homocysteine is caused by a lack of folic acids; B12 and B6 are vitamins that help lower homocysteine. Another surprising way that has been shown to lower the chances of dementia is drinking coffee and/or tea. In one study, moderate coffee/tea drinkers were shown to be less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than people who don’t drink any. So, pour up that steaming, hot cup of tea and enjoy it. 

Physical and Mental Exercise 

Time after time, we are told that physical exercise is important for maintaining a healthy, active body, but did you know that physical exercise can prevent dementia too? Exercise actually produces more chemicals that protect your brain, resulting in better memory and cognitive function. It’s easier to exercise if it’s something that brings you joy. If you love dancing, crank up some Motown and dance it out; as long as you get your heart pumping, it doesn’t matter what you do. Try to make it a habit to spend 30 minutes a day exercising 

Mental exercise is beneficial as well. Dementia is now affecting people at younger ages. Due to the newly formed habit of endless scrolling on mindless entertainment, some have made the correlation that the smartphone might be to blame because social media isn’t as mentally engaging as picking up a hobby. Studies have shown that spending an hour on a mentally engaging hobby such as reading novels, cooking new recipes, knitting,  gardening, etc. can half your chances of getting Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Make sure that you make time for it too, infrequent engagement of hobbies hasn’t been shown to make any changes in brain function. So pick something that you love to do, and make time for it.

Living a healthier lifestyle by eating a healthier diet, taking vitamins, and exercising both your body and mind may seem easier said than done, but your mind is valuable.  Making small changes that can prevent life-debilitating diseases will be worth it. 

— Madison Calhoon