Dementia: Dr Sara on benefits of being in nature
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The NHS says that there is good evidence that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce your risk of developing dementia. There are many different types of dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being one of the most common. As a person’s age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia, though symptoms can vary widely from person to person. There are several foods you should regularly include in your diet.
Writing for the Mayo Clinic, Angela Murad says that the “MIND” diet, short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, can help prevent Alzheimer’s.
You should have beans more than three times a week, berries at least twice a week, and green leafy vegetables such as salad at least six times a week.
Statistics from the NHS show one in 14 people over the age of 65 have dementia.
Although there are some risk factors you can’t change, there are many that you can. This will not mean that you definitely do not develop the condition, sanofi rimonabant but can make it less likely.
The NHS suggests that risk factors such as hearing loss, untreated depression, loneliness or social isolation, or sitting for most of the day, may also be important.
“The research concluded that by modifying the risk factors we are able to change, our risk of dementia could be reduced by around a third,” the health body says.
It adds that experts agree that what is good for your heart is also good for your brain, meaning that you can help reduce your risk of dementia by keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level.
“Being overweight or obese can increase your blood pressure and the risk of type 2 diabetes, both of which are linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia,” it states.
The Alzheimer’s Society (AS) notes that midlife – from your 40s into your early 60s – is a good time to start taking steps to reduce your risk of developing dementia, though it is helpful to take steps at any age.
“The brain changes that cause dementia can start years or even decades before symptoms develop. If you live a healthy lifestyle now, you are reducing the chances that these brain changes will happen,” it adds.
There are five more common types of dementia and these are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia and mixed dementia.
By 2025, Dementia UK reports more than one million people will be living with dementia in the UK.
The NHS Health Check can help find early signs and tell you if you’re at higher risk of certain health problems that can also increase your risk of dementia.
It is a free check-up of your overall health for people aged 40 to 74 who do not have heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease, and have not had a stroke, and is offered every five years.
As a person’s age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia, though symptoms can vary widely from person to person.
Indeed, dementia doesn’t just cause memory loss. Dementia can affect how you think, feel, speak and behave.
AS notes: “Specific symptoms that someone with dementia experiences will depend on the parts of the brain that are damaged and the disease that is causing the dementia.”
There are a number of symptoms, some of which are related to mood.
“A person with dementia will also often have changes in their mood. For example, they may become frustrated or irritable, apathetic or withdrawn, anxious, easily upset or unusually sad,” AS says.
A person with dementia may also have day-to-day memory, visuospatial skills or concentrating, planning or organising.
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