How Can You Prevent Dementia? Chances Are, You’re Doing It Wrong

Older American adults may calculate their chances of developing dementia, and they might do some things they believe are helpful, which are actually useless.

Half of the adults who were surveyed for this study believe that they will develop dementia. The result suggested that many of them did not really understand the connection between brain health and physical health and how these differences affect the risk of dementia.

A huge number of people who rated their health as good or as bad thought about their dementia chances that were low. Many of those who said that their health was excellent thought they were likely to develop this disease.

Many of them stated that they tried at least one unproven memory-protecting method – they took ginkgo or fish oil. But the most popular method was doing crossword puzzles. It is believed that mental simulation is helpful, but there are pieces of evidence that there are more challenging activities than puzzles – people can play chess, take a class or read something about unusual things. This comes from Keith Fargo, who takes part in the Alzheimer’s Association. He was not part of this study.

Research also showed that a good diet, regular exercise, drinking less alcohol, and not smoking makes the chances of developing dementia lower. Supplements are not going to help.

Dr. Donovan Maust, the lead author of the study, stated that they didn’t do a good job in educating people about lowering your risks when it comes to dementia.

The study was published in JAMA Neurology, and it is based on a health survey of 1,000 adults, with ages between 50 and 64. The survey asked people to talk about their likelihood of developing dementia, and if they discussed with their doctor how to prevent the disease.