Reducing your risk of dementia.
One Minute For Your Health #12
The number of people suffering from dementia will increase from 50 million in 2018 to 152 million in 2050 - a 204% increase in people with dementia.
You might be nowhere near the age where you’re beginning to experience any symptoms of cognitive decline.
But that doesn’t mean you’re not laying the ground work for your ageing brain now.
And it’s never too late to start taking care of your brain.
One 2013 study followed 2000 individuals from around 76 years of age for 7 years.
They found that fasting blood sugar levels at the beginning of the study directly correlated with their likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia in the 7 year time period.
In other words, poorer blood sugar regulation (we’ve spoke about this before - remember the coffee and porridge posts) was linked with increased risk of dementia.
One minute is not a long enough time to go into the science behind how lifestyle factors can influence your risk of dementia, so I’m just going to summarise my top 5 tips for you in this post.
1. Balance Blood Sugar
We’ve spoken about balanced blood sugar before, because it’s really important. High blood sugar can cause damage to your cells - especially those in your brain.
Balance your blood sugar by combining fibre rich carbohydrates with whole food fats and proteins.
Avoid drinking caffeine on an empty stomach, prioritise good sleep and stress management, and move after meals to support your body to balance blood sugar even better.
2. Eat Healthy Fats
Another 2013 study showed that elderly people who added fats like olive oil and nuts to their diet maintained much better cognitive function over a six year period than those who didn’t.
Your brain is made up of fats.
If you’re not eating enough fat or only eating bad quality fats (think processed foods, vegetable oils like sunflower oil and fried foods) then your brain is made up of those crappy fats. And it will function crappily.
3. Drink Coffee
Of course this is one of my favourites. Any excuse to drink coffee makes me happy.
One Finish study, which followed individuals for 21 years found that moderate coffee drinkers (who drank 3 to 5 cups daily) had a 65% lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s than low coffee drinkers (who drank 0 to 2 cups daily).
In his book ‘Brain Maker’ David Perlmutter suggests this might be due to the impact polyphenols in coffee have on our gut bugs and the links between our gut health and our brain health.
4. Eat the Rainbow
While we’re speaking about polyphenols and gut health I may as well mention this goal I give to many of my clients.
Over the course of each day (or at least each week) aim to eat each colour of the rainbow from fresh foods (not smarties).
Each colour represents a different set of polyphenols, which have different beneficial health effects. By eating each colour regularly you are helping your body carry out all the brain protective functions it needs to.
5. Stress Less
I know I said last week that telling someone to relax or to stress less is never helpful.
But it’s important that you understand the links between brain health and stress.
Psychological stress can harm brain cells and neurons due to immune and hormonal changes.
Various longitudinal studies have found an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in individuals who experienced higher levels of work stress in mid-life.
To combat stress, practice slowing down during your day, incorporating daily movement and time outdoors, addressing worries (read my worry article here) and trying a meditation or relaxation exercise.
This week’s #1M4YH challenge is simply to choose one of the five tips above and try it out this week.
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Links and References:
https://www.dementiastatistics.org/statistics-about-dementia/
Russell-Williams, J., Jaroudi, W., Perich, T., Hoscheidt, S., El Haj, M. and Moustafa, A.A. (2018). Mindfulness and meditation: treating cognitive impairment and reducing stress in dementia. Reviews in the Neurosciences, [online] 29(7), pp.791–804. Available at: https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/revneuro/29/7/article-p791.xml [Accessed 15 Sep. 2020].
Wang, H.-X., Wahlberg, M., Karp, A., Winblad, B. and Fratiglioni, L. (2012). Psychosocial stress at work is associated with increased dementia risk in late life. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, [online] 8(2), pp.114–120. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1552526011000963 [Accessed 15 Sep. 2020].
Sindi, S., Hagman, G., Håkansson, K., Kulmala, J., Nilsen, C., Kåreholt, I., Soininen, H., Solomon, A. and Kivipelto, M. (2016). Midlife Work-Related Stress Increases Dementia Risk in Later Life: The CAIDE 30-Year Study. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, [online] p.gbw043. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/72/6/1044/2632024 [Accessed 15 Sep. 2020].
Johansson, L., Guo, X., Waern, M., Ostling, S., Gustafson, D., Bengtsson, C. and Skoog, I. (2010). Midlife psychological stress and risk of dementia: a 35-year longitudinal population study. Brain, [online] 133(8), pp.2217–2224. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/133/8/2217/385486 [Accessed 15 Sep. 2020].
Eskelinen, M.H., Ngandu, T., Tuomilehto, J., Soininen, H. and Kivipelto, M., 2009. Midlife coffee and tea drinking and the risk of late-life dementia: a population-based CAIDE study. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 16(1), pp.85-91.
Crane, P.K., Walker, R., Hubbard, R.A., Li, G., Nathan, D.M., Zheng, H., Haneuse, S., Craft, S., Montine, T.J., Kahn, S.E. and McCormick, W., 2013. Glucose levels and risk of dementia. New England Journal of Medicine, 369(6), pp.540-548.
Martínez-Lapiscina, E.H., Clavero, P., Toledo, E., Estruch, R., Salas-Salvadó, J., San Julián, B., Sanchez-Tainta, A., Ros, E., Valls-Pedret, C. and Martinez-Gonzalez, M.Á., 2013. Mediterranean diet improves cognition: the PREDIMED-NAVARRA randomised trial. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 84(12), pp.1318-1325.
https://www.drperlmutter.com/about/brain-maker-by-david-perlmutter-md/
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Find out more about me at www.efiaskitchen.com