Toronto, Sep 18 (The Conversation) Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is poised to become one of the most significant public health challenges of our era. Every three seconds, someone in the world is diagnosed with dementia, predominantly Alzheimer’s disease.
Currently, around 50 million people globally are living with AD. By 2050, projections suggest this number will soar past 130 million.
The impact on human health and society is projected to be vast. However, this trajectory isn't set in stone.
Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease A 2024 report from the influential Lancet Commission indicates that up to one-third of AD cases may be preventable by addressing certain risk factors. These 14 modifiable risk factors include: traumatic brain injury, hypertension, depression, diabetes, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol levels, low physical activity levels, excessive alcohol consumption, insufficient education, vision loss, hearing loss, social isolation, and air pollution.
While this list is scientifically robust, managing 14 distinct health metrics is a daunting task for the general public, particularly since these prevention efforts must commence decades before symptoms emerge.
This challenge demands attention. We need a prevention approach that is simple, memorable, and user-friendly for the public.
Successful examples exist. Stroke prevention groups, for instance, successfully use the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) mnemonic to teach stroke warning signs. Alzheimer’s disease prevention requires a similar mnemonic approach.
SHIELD (Sleep, Head Injury prevention, Exercise, Learning, and Diet) might fit this role. SHIELD consolidates the most critical and overlapping dementia risk factors into five core elements, providing a clear guide for prevention.
Sleep Sleep is fundamental in SHIELD. Healthy sleep habits are crucial in protecting against dementia. Adequate sleep bolsters brain function, memory, mood, and learning.
Poor or insufficient sleep, especially less than five hours per night, significantly raises the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Chronic poor sleep leads to amyloid-beta protein buildup in the brain, a contributor to AD development.
Poor sleep also heightens the chances of obesity, hypertension, and depression—all known AD risk factors. If you currently sleep four to five hours per night, consider adjusting this habit to reduce your risk of developing dementia later in life. Sleep is a critical tool for brain protection and AD prevention.
Head Injury Surprisingly, head injury prevention is often overlooked in dementia discussions. Strong correlations exist between traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions, and heightened AD risk.
These injuries can happen in many contexts, not just in professional sports. Intimate partner violence, for example, is regrettably common and a frequent cause of head trauma.
Prevention should commence early and persist through life, as damage can accumulate. Broader safety measures, like improved helmet designs, stricter concussion protocols in youth and adult sports, and interventions to prevent head trauma in every setting, can significantly protect long-term brain health and prevent AD.
Exercise Exercise is possibly the most influential lifestyle habit for reducing AD risk. It targets several major risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, cholesterol, and depression. Exercise also supports brain cell growth, memory, and emotional health.
Despite its importance, physical inactivity is widespread, particularly in affluent countries, where it could account for up to 20% of AD cases. Exercise isn’t just “heart medicine” but also “brain medicine.” Regular, even minimal, physical activity supports better brain aging and prevents AD.
Learning Lifelong learning, both formal and informal, is a robust protective factor against dementia. Lower educational attainment, like not completing secondary school, significantly increases dementia risk.
Learning builds cognitive reserve, the brain’s capacity to function effectively despite damage or disease.
Individuals with AD show better mental function if they engage in continual learning throughout life. Public health messages should advocate lifelong learning in all forms—reading, language learning, or engaging hobbies that keep the brain active. It’s never too soon or too late to learn a new language or challenge the mind. Expanded cognitive reserve strengthens the brain against AD.
Diet Diet plays a vital role in brain health and dementia prevention. No single food prevents dementia. Instead, a diet rich in nutrients supports overall brain health. A healthy diet lowers dementia risk by emphasizing whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish while limiting processed foods, red meat, and sweets.
The Mediterranean diet has shown promise in protecting against cognitive decline. This diet, inspired by traditional dietary habits of those living by the Mediterranean Sea, emphasizes plant-based foods with olive oil as the primary fat, while restricting red meat, processed foods, and added sugars.
Our dietary choices impact brain inflammation and vascular health, factors increasingly linked to AD. A healthy diet should not feel like punishment or limitation in pursuit of better brain health. Rather, it represents a positive investment in long-term independence, clarity, and vitality.
SHIELD offers a concise and research-supported strategy for brain health, simplifying the science. Until a cure is found, prevention remains the best weapon. Concepts like SHIELD give us a practical foundation for prevention.
We mustn’t view Alzheimer’s as unavoidable. The forecast of over 130 million AD cases by 2050 should not be seen as a foregone conclusion. With informed choices and proactive actions, we can work to prevent AD, safeguarding millions of minds and memories. (The Conversation) NPK NPK
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