Never too early, never too late: New report demystifies how you can reduce your dementia risk 

Tackling 12 proven risk factors for dementia could delay, slow progression, or even prevent up to 40 per cent of dementia cases, equating to 55.6 million cases globally by 2050.  

·                  This year alone, nearly 50,000 news stories have been published worldwide referencing dementia and diet, leading to overwhelming and unclear advice for general populations to follow.²  

·                  New global report aims to cut through the noise and provide a clearer, more nuanced breakdown of how individuals – and governments – can address dementia risk in concrete ways.   

·                  It’s never too early and never too late to reduce dementia risk; risk reduction can support individuals both pre- and post- diagnosis.   

21 SEPTEMBER 2023 – CARIBBEAN: In 2023 alone, nearly 50,000 stories¹ have been published worldwide referencing dementia and diet, highlighting the difficulties individuals face when trying to navigate how to reduce their dementia risk, say Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI).  

ADI, the international federation for over 100 national Alzheimer’s associations, say that while covering the latest research developments is important, the sheer volume of stories, often without context, makes it incredibly difficult to make well informed lifestyle changes.  

“Almost 200 stories are published on dementia diets every day, pointing to the latest research on everything from blueberries to champagne. The reality is the conversation is far more nuanced than that,” says Paola Barbarino, CEO of ADI.   

“How many blueberries, for how long and when to start? Is alcohol generally bad for brain health or do the benefits of moderate, sociable drinking outweigh the negatives? It can be confusing for audiences to understand and to make clear choices to help manage their risk,” continues Barbarino. 

The World Alzheimer’s Report 2023, entitled Reducing dementia risk: never too early, never too late, released today, focuses on dementia risk reduction as a practice, not a theory. The report draws on insights from approximately 90 high-profile researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, people living with dementia, and informal carers, to help readers understand dementia risk in a holistic and easy-to-read way. 

In 2020, The Lancet drew up a list of 12 proven modifiable dementia risk factors (smoking, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, air pollution, head injury, infrequent social contact, less education, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, depression, and hearing impairment) which, if addressed, could delay, slow progression, or prevent up to 40 per cent of dementia cases³ worldwide.  

“Research increasingly shows that dementia can be delayed or even prevented by targeting our lifestyle choices such as exercise, diet, and social connections; also, it is never too late to correct hearing loss,” says Dame Louise Robinson, professor of primary care and ageing at Newcastle University and co-chair of ADI’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Panel. “Healthy hearts, healthy bodies, and healthy brains, should be our mantra.” 

Alongside its overview of the modifiable risk factors and the latest risk reduction research, the report also delves into how dementia risk reduction expresses itself in concrete ways all over the world. 

“Some of these risk factors require a degree of personal choice from individuals, like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, while others require government action, like air quality, and access to education,” says Barbarino.   

Research shows that individuals can develop dementia for decades before symptoms become apparent⁴. However, reducing exposure to risk factors, both before and after a diagnosis, can delay, slow progression, or even prevent projected dementia cases.  

Every three seconds, somebody develops dementia. Currently, 55 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with the neurological condition, that two thirds of people still mistakenly believe is a normal part of ageing. 

Post-diagnosis risk reduction can also help slow the progression of dementia in individuals who already live with a diagnosis⁵. Therefore, it’s imperative that information and advice is clear and understandable, and that lifestyle changes are accessible and affordable for everyone.  

“Risk reduction doesn’t end with a diagnosis,” says Emily Ong, living with dementia in Singapore.  

“I immediately sought advice on nutrition and ways to slow progression, and to continue to live well. The kitchen is the heart of my home and I love to cook, so I have adapted recipes, cook more with family and introduced more dementia-friendly kitchen equipment like see-through kettles.”   

Understanding and adapting the research regionally 

While stories around single miracle dementia ingredients represent a lack of nuance, regional considerations are also often a missing puzzle piece.   

Often heralded as the diets to save brain health, recommended nutritional guidelines like the Mediterranean or MIND diets fail to capture regionally available produce and cultural considerations.   

“The Mediterranean diet is great – for those with access to that kind of produce,” says Barbarino. “However, what does that diet look like for people in Mexico? Or Zambia? Or India? Different regions have access to different foodstuffs and cultural traditions that may shape how they approach diet.”  

Drug developments and silver bullets:  

Despite recent advances in disease-modifying drugs, which have given hope to many people around the world that we may be inching ever closer towards finding a cure, we are still far from the goal of global, accessible, and affordable treatments for all types of dementia.   

“The old adage states that prevention is better than a cure – and in the absence of a cure, risk reduction is the best tool we’ve currently got available,” says Barbarino. “We understand it’s not always easy, but we can’t blueberry our way out of this, nor will there be a silver bullet magic pill for some time.”  

Dr Howard Fillit, cofounder and chief science officer of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, says that new breakthroughs in dementia treatment make risk reduction efforts even more crucial. 

“It is crucial that we continue to advance our arsenal of tools to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, even if only by a few years, because any delay of disease onset makes a tremendous difference in patients’ lives,” he says. 

ADI’s message is clear: take ownership where you can over the 12 modifiable risk factors for dementia to manage your own personal dementia risk, and advocate for governmental intervention where individual behavioural changes cannot suffice.  

“It’s never too early, and never too late to take action to reduce your personal dementia risk,” says Barbarino. “Risk reduction is a lifelong endeavour and most effective when awareness and understanding of brain health begins at a young age and continues after diagnosis.”  

Footnotes 

1 Meltwater search on dementia diet stories 7/09/23 

2 World Alzheimer Report 2023, page 11 

3 National Institute on Aging: Inside the brain: The role of neuropathology in Alzheimer’s disease research 2022: https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/inside-brain-role-neuropathology-alzheimers-disease-research 

4 World Alzheimer Report 2023, page 82 

About Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI)  
  
ADI is the international federation of 105 Alzheimer associations and federations around the world, in official relations with the World Health Organization. ADI’s vision is prevention, care and inclusion today, and cure tomorrow. ADI believes that the key to winning the fight against dementia lies in a unique combination of global solutions and local knowledge. ADI works locally, by empowering Alzheimer associations to promote and offer care and support for persons with dementia and their care partners, while working globally to focus attention on dementia and campaign for policy change. For more information, please visit www.alzint.org  

World Alzheimer’s Month materials:  

Description of World Alzheimer’s Month:  

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise dementia awareness and challenge stigma. Each year, Alzheimer and dementia associations, alongside all those involved in the treatment, care and support of people with dementia, from around the world unite to organise advocacy and information provision events, as well as Memory Walks and fundraising days. September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day.  

Social media hashtags:  

#WorldAlzMonth #NeverTooEarly, #NeverTooLate, #ReduceRiskNow  

World Alzheimer’s Report 2023  
www.alzint.org/what-we-do/research/world-alzheimer-report/