We should be thinking about preventing dementia in our 30s

How soon should you think about preventing dementia? As early as the 20s and 30s and certainly by the time we're in our 40s, say researchers from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at the University of NSW.

"Dementia might not take hold until later in life but the accumulated insults to the brain that can contribute to its onset can begin decades before," says clinical neuropsychologist Nicola Gates who believes we need a loud message about maintaining brain health that targets people long before they reach their 60s. "People don't realise they can start influencing how well their brain ages from a young age – it's time we took a whole-of-life-span approach to preventing dementia."

Staying at a healthy weight is a start. Gain too many kilos and up goes the risk of high blood pressure. This can damage blood vessels including those that feed the brain – which is why healthy blood pressure lowers your dementia risk. Being overweight also increases the chances of type 2 diabetes, adding a further risk for developing dementia.

By the age of 50 many people have gained weight - often kilos that began creeping on at 30. But staying at a healthy weight can make a difference to both general health and brain health later on, says Gates.

http://www.dailylife.com.au/health-and-fitness/dl-wellbeing/we-should-be-thinking-about-preventing-dementia-in-our-30s-20130808-2ri73.html

We should be thinking about preventing dementia in our 30s

We should be thinking about preventing dementia in our 30s

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