Keeping Your Brain Healthy Is The Best Defense Against UK's Biggest Killer

Since 2015, dementia has surpassed heart disease, cancer, and stroke in terms of the yearly death rate. According to official statistics in the UK, one in eight deaths is attributed to the condition. This means that dementia claims the life of someone every three minutes.

A common misconception about dementia is that it is a natural part of aging. Jonathan Schott, a neurology professor at the Dementia Research Center in London, said that the ailment is not an inevitable part of aging.

Perhaps in part due to this misconception, there is helplessness among some people predisposed to dementia or who have loved ones suffering from the ailment. In a poll conducted by charitable organization Alzheimer’s Research UK, three out of four Britons think nothing can be done to minimize their risk of developing dementia.

Minimizing Dementia Risk

Although there is no cure for dementia, there are things you can do to minimize the risk of developing this neurological condition. While performing these activities provides you no guarantee in terms of protection, evidence show such activities may tip the balance towards getting through life without falling victim to the disease.

Professor Schott said there are many things you can do to help minimize the risk of developing the ailment. He said that approximately 66% of dementia cases are caused by genetic or unknown triggers. This is true in the case of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia.

Around 33% percent, however, suffer from vascular dementia, a condition characterized by the clogging of the brain’s blood vessels, which limits the supply of oxygen-carrying blood. Like heart disease, the likelihood of developing vascular dementia can be minimized by performing regular exercises, consuming a healthy diet, limiting your alcohol consumption, and having regular health checks.

Professor Schott said that what is good for the heart is generally good for the brain. Patients who suffer from any form of dementia also have vascular dementia to some degree. This means taking preventive measures that can minimize the risk of vascular dementia also benefits your overall brain health.

Activities That Help

Experts recommend that frequently performing brain activities can help a lot in lowering dementia risk. Performing Sudoku or crossword puzzles, as well as engaging in creative pastimes like learning foreign languages and painting, can help delay age-related mental decline. Such activities can also help minimize dementia risk.

Scientists believe that regularly performing brain workouts can increase the ability of the organ to steadily rewire the connections of billions of neurons that everyone has. Referred to as neural pathways, these connections permit the communication of neurons with each other and transmit the needed signals for the brain to perform its job. Mentally stimulating activities can help keep neural pathways in good condition, as well as ensure you have better cognitive health.