Dementia risk factors

There are several risk factors which affect someone getting dementia.  Some of these factors you will not be able to change, such as:

Age – dementia usually affects people who are over 65 years old. Above this age, a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia doubles roughly every five years. Over the age of 80 there is a one in six chance of developing dementia.

Ethnicity – certain ethnic groups have higher risk of developing dementia than others. For example, people from South Asian and African or African-Caribbean heritage seem to develop dementia more often than white Europeans. These may be linked with a higher prevalence of stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, as well as differences in diet, smoking, exercise and genes.

Gender – women tend to be affected by dementia more often than men (globally, the ratio is two to one). Twice as many women over the age of 65 are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease than men, whereas vascular dementia is diagnosed in slightly more men than women.

Genetics – in some rare cases, Alzheimer’s disease can be passed from one generation to another. This type of dementia usually affects people who are younger than 65.

Although getting older is the biggest risk factor for dementia, there are some changeable risk factors which include:

diabetes

high alcohol intake

high blood pressure

lack of exercise

low educational attainment

obesity

poor physical health

smoking

Modifying your diet to include a high variety of fruit, vegetables and nuts is thought to be beneficial to reduce occurrence of dementia:

The beneficial foods include:

• berries
• beans, lentils, soya
• green leafy vegetables
• nuts
• olive oil
• other colourful vegetables
• wholegrains

The foods considered to be unhealthy include:

• butter and margarine
• cheese
• fried and fast foods
• pastries and sweets
• red meats

For more information or if you wish to discuss care for your loved one please email care@greensleeves.org.uk