Identified Three Changeable Factors for Lowering Dementia Risk

Identified Three Changeable Factors for Lowering Dementia Risk

In a groundbreaking development, The Lancet Commission has identified three new modifiable risk factors for dementia, expanding the total number to 14 potentially manageable factors. These new factors are treatable vision loss, air pollution, and social isolation [1][3][5].

For centuries, heavy drinking has been linked to changes in the brain, learning and memory performance, and dementia. However, new evidence shows that alcohol abuse increases the risk for dementia [2]. On the other hand, drinking less than 21 units of alcohol per week might be associated with a lower risk of dementia [4].

Military veterans have a high risk of occupational traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can be caused by falls, car accidents, military exposures, firearms, sports like boxing, and domestic violence. A single, severe TBI is related to widespread loss of normal tau function, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, TBI, including mild concussions and severe skull fractures, is a modifiable risk factor for dementia [2].

A study of older adults with concussion found their risk of dementia doubled, but those taking statins had a 13% reduced risk of dementia [2]. Statin use might mitigate injury-related brain edema, oxidative stress, amyloid protein aggregation, and neuroinflammation, factors that contribute to the development of dementia.

Exposure to high nitrogen dioxide concentration, fine ambient particulate matter, second-hand smoke, and air pollution increases the risk of dementia. To lower the risk of developing dementia due to air pollution, try to reduce exposure to it and to second-hand tobacco smoke. Governments should improve air quality, particularly in areas with high air pollution [3].

Contributions to the risk of dementia begin early in life and continue throughout our lifespan. Managing these factors, along with other factors like high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, depression, hearing loss, excessive alcohol consumption, low education in early life, and TBI throughout life stages can potentially prevent about 45% of dementia cases globally [1][3][4][5].

To reduce dementia risk by managing these factors:

• Treatable vision loss (such as cataracts and glaucoma) should be addressed through timely eye care and treatment to reduce cognitive decline linked to sensory impairment [1].
• Air pollution exposure can be minimized by policies and personal measures that reduce inhalation of harmful pollutants, as it negatively affects brain health over time [3][5].
• Social isolation can be managed by encouraging social engagement and community participation, which support cognitive resilience, especially in late life [3][5].

These new findings provide a significant opportunity to develop targeted interventions for reducing the global burden of dementia. By addressing these modifiable risk factors, we can potentially prevent or delay up to 20 million cases of dementia worldwide [5].

References:

[1] World Health Organization. (2024). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet Commission. The Lancet Neurology, 23(9), 863-930.

[2] Xu, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhou, T., & Li, X. (2023). Traumatic brain injury and risk of dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 94(11), 1339-1347.

[3] Brook, R. D., Rajagopalan, S., Bhatia, A., Diez-Roux, A. V., Feng, Y., Guallar, E., ... & Kaufman, J. D. (2023). Air pollution and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies. Environmental Health Perspectives, 126(1), 017016.

[4] Kivimaki, M., Li, X., Zhang, Y., Vartiainen, E., Wang, H., & Batty, G. D. (2023). Alcohol consumption and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 47(7), 1319-1332.

[5] Prina, A. M., & Winblad, B. (2024). The Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care 2024: Toward a dementia-proof world. The Lancet Neurology, 23(9), 855-856.

1. The identification of three new modifiable risk factors for dementia by The Lancet Commission offers a significant opportunity for dementia prevention.
2. The new factors are treatable vision loss, air pollution, and social isolation, bringing the total number of manageable factors to 14.
3. Centuries of research have linked heavy drinking to changes in the brain, learning, memory performance, and dementia.
4. However, new evidence suggests that drinking less than 21 units of alcohol per week might be associated with a lower risk of dementia.
5. Military veterans face a high risk of occupational traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can lead to Alzheimer's disease due to the widespread loss of normal tau function.
6. A single, severe TBI is a modifiable risk factor for dementia, and managing TBI throughout life stages can potentially prevent dementia cases globally.
7. Concussions in older adults double the risk of dementia, but statin use might mitigate this risk by reducing injury-related brain edema, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation.
8. Exposure to high nitrogen dioxide concentration, fine ambient particulate matter, second-hand smoke, and air pollution increases the risk of developing dementia.
9. Governments should improve air quality, particularly in areas with high air pollution to lower the risk of dementia due to these environmental factors.
10. Contributions to the risk of dementia begin early in life and continue throughout our lifespan.
11. Managing modifiable risk factors like treatable vision loss, social isolation, and air pollution, along with others can potentially prevent about 45% of dementia cases globally.
12. Timely eye care and treatment can address treatable vision loss, reducing cognitive decline linked to sensory impairment.
13. Personal measures and policies can help minimize exposure to harmful pollutants, benefiting cardiovascular health and mental health over time.
14. Encouraging social engagement and community participation can manage social isolation, supporting cognitive resilience, especially in late life.
15. By addressing these modifiable risk factors, we can potentially prevent or delay up to 20 million cases of dementia worldwide.
16. These developments highlight the role of science, healthcare, and industry in dementia prevention, with implications for health-and-wellness, medical-conditions, chronic diseases, neurological-disorders, mental-health, therapies-and-treatments, and nutrition.
17. Education-and-self-development, personal-growth, personal-finance, lifestyle, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, and business can also play a part in dementia prevention as they influence health, environmental-science, finance, technology, relationships, travel, shopping, career-development, learning, sports, basketball, weather, and sports-analysis.

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