Lifestyle Matters.

• Position: Dementia and Alzheimer's disease

There has been increasing research on how lifestyle issues affect dementia risk, and organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association, American College of Neurology, and World Health Organization have issued guidelines on how to reduce your chances of developing the condition.

Moreover, the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention has published a report that identifies 12 risk factors that have been linked to approximately 40% of dementia cases worldwide. However, a number of these risk factors are modifiable, meaning that individuals may be able to decrease their level of risk if they avoid or change certain behaviors. They include: excessive alcohol consumption in midlife; high blood pressure in midlife; midlife hearing loss; midlife obesity; traumatic brain injury in midlife; depression later in life; diabetes later in life; physical inactivity later in life; smoking later in life; social isolation later in life.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, physical activity, and smoking fall into the category of "lifestyle issues," but they also relate to an individual's level of vascular health. Researchers are not entirely sure why vascular health is linked to dementia risk, but keeping your body's blood vessels functioning well promotes blood flow to the brain, which could affect the mental processes involved in learning, problem solving, remembering, and thinking.

Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption may reduce your risk of developing dementia. Alcohol is a toxin to multiple organs, including the brain. Excessive alcohol use is defined as consuming eight drinks or more per week for women and 15 drinks or more per week for men.

Avoiding traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions, can prevent brain damage that could eventually contribute to the onset of dementia. Studies over the last 30 years have shown individuals who experience moderate, severe, or repeated mild TBIs may have an increased risk of developing dementia years after the original head injury occurred. It is important to know that there is no evidence that a single TBI increases dementia risk, and more research is needed to determine the exact link between TBIs and dementia.

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