Kelly O’Shea Carney, PhD, ABPP
Board Certified Geropsychologist
President, Dementia Friendly Lehigh Valley Steering Committee
Historically we have considered dementia to be a concern that pertains primarily to older adults. How often have we heard someone say, “I hope I don’t get dementia someday like my dad (or mom, or friend) did.” These comments convey a sense that dementia may come for us “someday,” but it is not something we need think about or act upon today. Yet, the research on brain health clearly demonstrates that it is never too early and never too late to begin actively supporting the health of your brain.
The reality is that what we do to foster brain health today is likely to have a significant impact on whether or not we develop dementia “someday.” In the most recent Lancet article (Livingston, et. al., 2024) summarizing the current state of brain healt
h research and insights, the number of risk factors for dementia has increased from 12 to 14 and the diminishment of overall risk that results from addressing all these risk factors is estimated to account for 45% of the total risk for dementia. As scientists identify the various lifestyle risk factors for developing dementia, this information provides each of us with the power to make different decisions TODAY that may reduce our risk for cognitive change tomorrow.
The two new risk factors that have been identified are high LDL cholesterol and vision loss. High LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, becomes a risk factor in mid-life and joins many of the other health related risk factors, such as obesity, smoking, drinking too much, lack of exercise, diabetes, and hypertension. Avoiding and/or effectively managing all these health conditions becomes critical to both heart health and brain health in midlife. Vision loss, on the other hand, becomes a factor in brain health later in life. Like hearing loss, vision loss results in diminished cognitive stimulation and can contribute to social isolation and depression, which are also risk factors for dementia.
The reality is that fostering brain health is actually a lifelong process. The opportunity to begin fostering a healthy brain starts when we are very young and engage in learning and education, wear a helmet during sports and activities, and lay the groundwork for healthy eating habits. The opportunity to enhance brain health continues through midlife into the final years of our lives when social isolation, air pollution, and visual acuity help to determine our brain health. In each stage of life, we have the opportunity to reduce risk factors for dementia, and if we fail to address those risk factors, we in fact increase our risk for developing dementia later in life. It is never too early and never too late to think about brain health and to engage in the healthy habits that serve to foster cognitive health and diminish the risk of dementia. The graphic below, which comes from the July 2024 Lancet article referenced above provides an illustration of the multitude of ways we can promote brain health across the lifespan.
Based on this understanding, we can all consider how we might promote an awareness of brain health in our homes and in our communities. We can encourage young family members to eat well, get exercise, and build a solid network of friends, knowing that as they do so they will enjoy better health and wellbeing today and lay the groundwork for a healthy future. We can also take comfort in knowing that if we have not always paid good attention to our health, put off getting those hearing aids or refused to see the eye doctor, it is never too late to change course on these important aspects of brain health. In fact, the research tells us that addressing the factors that diminish brain health can even enhance the function of those who are already living with dementia. For example, exercise, socialization, wearing one’s glasses or hearing aids, managing chronic health conditions, and providing sources of cognitive stimulation are all ways to keep our loved ones living with dementia healthier, happier, and functioning at their maximum potential.
Adopting the lifestyle factors that foster brain health is a lifelong pursuit. When we pay attention to adopting a healthy lifestyle, not only do we reduce our individual risk of developing dementia later in life, but also we contribute to bending the curve on the world-wide prevalence of dementia. Fewer people living with dementia in the years to come is a gift to each of us individually and collectively.
So, remember, it is never too early, and it is never too late to begin addressing the risk factors associated with dementia. We have greater influence on the outcome of our cognitive health than we realized in the past. Today we know that nearly half of the total risk for dementia can be influenced by the choices we make and how we live. Let’s embrace the opportunity to change our futures rather than just hoping for a better outcome “someday.”
Resources:
Livingston, Gill et al. (2024). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission, The Lancet, Volume 404, Issue 10452, 572 – 628. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01296-0