Nearly half of dementia cases may be connected to risk factors that people can potentially change, according to new research from Lund University reported by ScienceDaily. The study looked at how different risk factors are linked to the two most common causes of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Researchers note that some dementia risks, such as age, sex and genetics, cannot be changed. But others may be modifiable, including smoking, cardiovascular disease, high blood lipids, physical activity, alcohol use, hearing loss and high blood pressure.
The study followed almost 500 people with an average age of 65 who showed no signs of cognitive impairment. Over four years, the team tracked changes in white matter in the brain and measured amyloid beta and tau, two proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the researchers, most of the modifiable risk factors they examined — including smoking, cardiovascular disease, high blood lipids and high blood pressure — were associated with blood vessel damage in the brain and a faster buildup of white matter changes. The study also found possible links between diabetes and increased amyloid beta, as well as lower BMI and faster tau accumulation, though the researchers said those findings need further study.
The researchers said improving vascular and metabolic health may still be helpful even for people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, since many people with dementia experience more than one disease process in the brain at the same time.
