A healthy lifestyle may reduce the risk of developing certain types of dementia. Dementia is not a normal part of getting older, but the risk of developing dementia does increase with age.
It is also likely that a mixture of our age, genes, environment and lifestyle contribute to whether we develop dementia.
There is currently no way we can completely prevent dementia, but research suggests there may be some simple things we can do to reduce the risk of developing certain types of dementia.
Did you know that living a healthy lifestyle may reduce your risk of developing certain types of dementia in the same way that it can reduce your risk of having heart disease or a stroke? By keeping your body healthy – especially your heart – you can help to keep your brain healthy too. This is because some forms of dementia (such as Vascular Dementia) are caused by a reduction of blood-flow to the brain.
The following seven steps will not only help you feel better and reduce your risk of developing dementia, but will also help protect you from other health risks such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
- Be active
- Eat healthily
- Maintain weight
- Be social
- Limit alcohol
- Stop smoking
- Review your health