Risk Factors of Alzheimer's/Dementia

As many as 40% of dementia cases can be associated with modifiable risk factors that could be reduced by changing lifestyle or behavior in midlife.¹ The goal of being aware of these risk factors is to help lessen them in order to better your brain health.  

This study was coauthored by NeuroReserve medical advisors Marwan Sabbagh, M.D, and Tom Holland, M.D, and we’re enthused they are contributing to the advancement of our understanding of risk factors and prevention. 

Whether you’re aiming to spot these risk factors in yourself or your loved ones, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 risk factors to look out for and steps you can take to improve them. 

1. Hypertension: Remind yourself that heart health equals brain health. A healthy heart can be managed through taking proper medication and improving areas of smoking, diet, physical activity, BMI. 

2. Physical Inactivity: Find a fun way to get moving more frequently. Aim to develop a plan using a safe, gradual approach that begins with simple physical exercises that fit within a person’s lifestyle.  

3. Insufficient Sleep: If you’re not getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep a night, try adjusting your sleep environment. Make the room dark, keep the air conditioning running on colder air, or buy neck supporting pillows with memory foam.  

4. Limited Social Contact: Encourage yourself to socialize more. Find and attend clubs or organizations within your interests, call friends over video chat, or volunteer at an animal shelter.  

5. Poor Nutrition: Be aware of the nutrients that you may be missing in your diet. Learn about the importance of the Mediterranean/MIND diets and diet modifications that can be made. If you find that you are a picky eater or need extra support, introduce RELEVATE to fill in the nutritional gaps. 

We’ve formulated RELEVATE using a broad spectrum of brain-supportive nutrients that synergistically work together and are often lacking in typical daily diets. It’s backed by data from long-term studies of the Mediterranean and MIND diets that are shown to help reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and help to maintain cognitive function with age. Learn more about RELEVATE here.

References

1. Sabbagh, MN, Perez, A, Holland, TM, et al. Primary prevention recommendations to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Alzheimer's Dement. 2022; 18: 1569– 1579. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12535