With an aging population, it’s no wonder everyone is searching for natural ways to prevent age-related diseases such as dementia.
Dementia has recently been gaining more media attention thanks to the success of the Oscar nominated film Still Alice. This movie has helped begin the conversation of early onset Alzheimer’s and a possible prevention strategy to dementia.
So let’s discuss dementia.
As a controversial and frightening disease, dementia is still not talked about enough in families and communities. If you suspect early signs of dementia symptoms, including memory loss, impaired judgement and lack of communication skills, please consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Medical treatment is vital to relieving the symptoms of dementia. But a recent study published in Lancet has discovered an easy way to help with the prevention of dementia alongside approved medicines.
It’s so simple you can probably guess what the answer will be.
Nutrition.
Yes, a good nutritional diet can go a long way and even helps with preventing dementia.
A two-year research led by Dr. Miia Kivipelto used a randomized controlled trial to measure the effects of brain function of intervention. This included nutritional planning and exercise in two groups of at risk elderly people.
The results from diet and exercise were amazing!
Intervention group scores were tested using the Neuropsychological Test Battery test and showed there was a:
- 25% increase in brain function
- 83% increase in executive functioning and
- 150% increase in processing speed
With those kinds of numbers, doctors cannot deny that nutrition plays a huge factor in preventing and slowing the decline of brain activity. The power of environmental factors needs to start playing a role in the research conducted on age-related diseases.
If not now, when?
There are 44 million people around the world living with dementia and the UN has reported that number will increase to 135 million by 2050. Don’t you think prevention should be the number one priority?
If global health does not widen its scope to non-pharmaceutical prevention strategies, we may be stuck on a never-ending cycle of more medication and no treatment. Instead, researchers need to look at the ways to help prevent cognitive decline.
This needs to include nutrition.
Some good dietary practices to help prevent dementia include eating more omega-3 fats which are linked to mental health and memory, increase your daily dose of vitamin B, and eat more antioxidants.
While more studies should be done on certain vitamins and foods that are linked to preventing cognitive decline and dementia, opening a discussion with your doctor about the possible preventable measures can only help in your understanding of preventing dementia.
If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Kivipelto’s research and other studies that support nutrition as a factor of preventing age-related diseases, check out the NYC scientific conference presented by The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science, the New York Academy of Sciences, Nestlé Nutrition Institute and Nestlé Health Science.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-r-beaudreault/can-dementia-be-prevented-through-nutrition_b_6847822.html
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WorldPopulationAgeing2013.pdf
http://www.foodforthebrain.org/nutrition-solutions/dementia-and-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease/action-plan-for-dementia-alzheimer%E2%80%99s.aspx
https://livingwelldementia.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/dementia-image.jpg