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How we can reduce dementia risk and preserve cognition

Dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing. In fact, a recent study suggested that we may be able to prevent up to 40% of dementias by changing our lifestyles to reduce some of the risk factors. 

Tips for looking after your brain health include: 

  • Keep physically active (see Physical activity)
  • Stop smoking 
  • Eat foods that are high in ‘good fats’ such as nuts, seeds, and oily fish, limit processed foods, and include a variety of fruit and vegetables (see Eating for women’s wellbeing) 
  • Reduce alcohol consumption 
  • Aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night 
  • Be socially active 
  • Learn a new skill 
  • Manage other health conditions, especially: 
    • diabetes  
    • high blood pressure  
    • high cholesterol  
    • depression 
    • hearing problems 
    • Get an annual health check from your doctor

Visit Dementia Australia for more information on how to keep your brain in good health and other tips and strategies. 

References

Alzheimers Disease International. (2022) Up to 85% of people with dementia may not receive post-diagnosis care, World Alzheimers Report reveals. 

Alzheimers Society UK. (2023) Why is dementia different for women?  

Ballenger, J. (2017) Framing confusion: Dementia, society and history. AMA Journal of Ethics. 

Bosco A, Schneider J, Coleston-Shields DM, Higgs P & Orrell M. (2019). The social construction of dementia: Systematic review and metacognitive model of enculturation. Maturitas. 120, 12–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.11.009 

Cipriani G & Borin G. (2015). Understanding dementia in the sociocultural context: A review. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 61(2), 198–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764014560357 

Cao Q, Tan C, Xu W, Hu H, Cao X, Dong Q, Tan L, Yu J (2020) The Prevalence of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 73(3): 1157-1166 

Chaufan C, Hollister B, Nazareno J, & Fox P. (2012). Medical ideology as a double-edged sword: The politics of cure and care in the making of Alzheimer’s disease. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 74(5), 788–795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.10.033  

Chen X, Maguire B, Brodaty H, O'Leary F (2019) Dietary Patterns and Cognitive Health in Older Adults: A Systematic Review. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 67(2): 583-619 

Dementia Australia (nd) About dementia | Dementia Australia 

Dementia Australia (nd) Brain health tips and strategies | Dementia Australia 

Dementia Australia (nd) Memory changes | Dementia Australia 

Fletcher J (2019) Destigmatising dementia: The dangers of felt stigma and benevolent othering. Dementia. 20:2, 417-426 

Healthdirect (2022) Dementia - early signs, symptoms, treatment and statistics 

Kiumurra A, Sugimoto T, Kitamori K, Saji N, Niida S, Toba K, Sakurai T (2019) Malnutrition is Associated with Behavioral and Psychiatric Symptoms of Dementia in Older Women with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease. Nutrients. 11(8): 1951 

Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, Ames A, Ballard C (2020) Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission - The Lancet. The Lancet Commissions. 396(10248):413-446 

Mitchell, W (2019) Somebody I Used to Know. Penguin Random House 

Mitchell, W (2022) What I Wish People Knew About Dementia: From Someone Who Knows. With Anna Wharton. Bloomsbury.  

Murman DL (2015) The Impact of Age on Cognition. Seminars in Hearing Journal. 36(3): 111-121. 

Podcasy JL, Epperson CN (2016) Considering sex and gender in Alzheimer disease and other dementias. Dialogues Clinical Neuroscience 18(4), 437–446.  

Szoeke C, Lehert P, Henderson VW, Dennerstein L, Desmond P, Campbell S (2016) Predictive Factors for Verbal Memory Performance Over Decades of Aging: Data from the Women's Healthy Ageing Project. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 24(10): 857-867 

The World Health Organisation (2022) Brain health (who.int) 

The World Health Organisation (2023) Dementia (who.int) 

The World Health Organisation (2019) Risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia: WHO guidelines 

Wiersma E, Harvey D, Caffery P (2023) “I’m still the queen and I’m still on my throne…”: Women’s reflections on gender and living with dementia. Journal of Women and Ageing. 35(1): 113-127 

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Brain health in social context Cognition and age Dementia