A new report out of Australia identifies specific risk factors related to the continuing global battle against dementia.
Researchers with the Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific say there are steps individuals can take to slow the progress of mental decline — or perhaps even avoid it.
The study explores risk factors for dementia, focusing on a population base stretching from Australia through islands in the Pacific, and north to China and Japan.
This region has one of the world's largest concentrations of older people and already accounts for more than half of the world's cases of dementia.
Age and genetic disposition are unavoidable risk factors. However, evidence is growing that behavior modification can slow dementia — and sometimes even prevent it.
That includes avoiding risk factors such as smoking and excessive drinking, obesity, high blood pressure, and a lack of physical activity.
Work at Neuroscience Research Australia is also showing other conditions can increase the risk of dementia — ranging from social isolation, to loss of sight and hearing, as well as air pollution.
On the other hand, education in early life can be a positive factor in avoiding it. Researchers believe anything that stimulates your brain helps delay the impact of cognitive decline.
