Reducing the Risk of Dementia

Author(s):  
Joanne Rodda

This chapter looks at the impact of health and lifestyle factors on the risk of developing dementia in later life. It provides a brief overview of dementia and its most common causes, and an explanation of the degree to which genetics play a role. It reviews the available evidence regarding the extent to which potentially modifiable risk factors including smoking, obesity, physical activity, cognitive activity, diet, alcohol, depression, and diabetes may contribute to a likelihood of developing dementia in later life. Both general dietary patterns and the evidence related to vitamin B12, folate, antioxidants, and omega 3 fatty acids are reviewed. Possible approaches to the conversion of this knowledge into a reduction in the prevalence of dementia in the future are discussed. It is written for anyone with an interest in dementia and potential opportunities to mitigate the impact on individuals and society.

Author(s):  
Osvaldo P. Almeida

Well-being is a state characterized by contentment with one’s emotional, physical, and social circumstances that is undermined by the presence of depression, dementia, and frailty. Numerous potentially modifiable risk factors have been associated with these common conditions of later life, and there is growing evidence that multidomain interventions that target them in a systematic fashion hold potential to reduce the incidence and prevalence of frailty, dementia, and depression in older age. Some of the potential targets for interventions include physical inactivity, suboptimal education or cognitive activity, smoking, harmful alcohol use, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, high plasma homocysteine, low vitamin D, and testosterone. These interventions are still in their infancy, but preliminary data offer hope that an increasing number of people will be able to enjoy good health and well-being in their later years.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleix Sala-Vila ◽  
William S. Harris ◽  
Montserrat Cofán ◽  
Ana M. Pérez-Heras ◽  
Xavier Pintó ◽  
...  

The omega-3 index, defined as the sum of EPA and DHA in erythrocyte membranes expressed as a percentage of total fatty acids, has been proposed as both a risk marker and risk factor for CHD death. A major determinant of the omega-3 index is EPA+DHA intake, but the impact of other dietary fatty acids has not been investigated. In a cross-sectional study on 198 subjects (102 men and 96 women, mean age 66 years) at high cardiovascular risk living in Spain, the country with low rates of cardiac death despite a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, dietary data were acquired from FFQ and blood cell membrane fatty acid composition was measured by GC. The average consumption of EPA+DHA was 0·9 g/d and the mean omega-3 index was 7·1 %. In multivariate models, EPA+DHA intake was the main predictor of the omega-3 index but explained only 12 % of its variability (P < 0·001). No associations with other dietary fatty acids were observed. Although the single most influential determinant of the omega-3 index measured here was the intake of EPA+DHA, it explained little of the former's variability; hence, the effects of other factors (genetic, dietary and lifestyle) remain to be determined. Nevertheless, the high omega-3 index could at least partially explain the paradox of low rates of fatal CHD in Spain despite a high background prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1111
Author(s):  
Maria P. Mollica ◽  
Giovanna Trinchese ◽  
Fabiano Cimmino ◽  
Eduardo Penna ◽  
Gina Cavaliere ◽  
...  

Milk contains several important nutrients that are beneficial for human health. This review considers the nutritional qualities of essential fatty acids (FAs), especially omega-3 (ω-3) and omega-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) present in milk from ruminant and non-ruminant species. In particular, the impact of milk fatty acids on metabolism is discussed, including its effects on the central nervous system. In addition, we presented data indicating how animal feeding—the main way to modify milk fat composition—may have a potential impact on human health, and how rearing and feeding systems strongly affect milk quality within the same animal species. Finally, we have presented the results of in vivo studies aimed at supporting the beneficial effects of milk FA intake in animal models, and the factors limiting their transferability to humans were discussed.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1952
Author(s):  
Anna Johansson ◽  
Isabel Drake ◽  
Gunnar Engström ◽  
Stefan Acosta

Risk factors for ischemic stroke is suggested to differ by etiologic subtypes. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors and atherothrombotic stroke (i.e., excluding cardioembolic stroke), and to examine if the potential benefit of modifiable lifestyle factors differs among subjects with and without predisposing comorbidities. After a median follow-up of 21.2 years, 2339 individuals were diagnosed with atherothrombotic stroke out of 26,547 study participants from the Malmö Diet and Cancer study. Using multivariable Cox regression, we examined non-modifiable (demographics and family history of stroke), semi-modifiable comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus and atherosclerotic disease), and modifiable (smoking, body mass index, diet quality, physical activity, and alcohol intake) risk factors in relation to atherothrombotic stroke. Higher age, male gender, family history of stroke, and low educational level increased the risk of atherothrombotic stroke as did predisposing comorbidities. Non-smoking (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.56–0.68), high diet quality (HR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.72–0.97) and high leisure-time physical activity (HR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.80–0.98) decreased the risk of atherothrombotic ischemic stroke independent of established risk factors, with non-significant associations with body mass index and alcohol intake. The effect of the lifestyle factors was independent of predisposing comorbidities at baseline. The adverse effects of several cardiovascular risk factors were confirmed in this study of atherothrombotic stroke. Smoking cessation, improving diet quality and increasing physical activity level is likely to lower risk of atherothrombotic stroke in the general population as well as in patient groups at high risk.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chorong Park ◽  
Britta A Larsen ◽  
Yuhe Xia ◽  
Simona Kwon ◽  
Victoria V Dickson ◽  
...  

Introduction: Physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB) and sleep form the finite 24-hour day; changes to one behavior result in changes to the others. Little is known about how shifting the balance of time spent in these behaviors affects cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. The purpose of this study is to model the effects of changes in PA, SB and sleep on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP) in Asian American women, who have elevated CV risk. Methods: Normotensive middle-aged Asian American women completed 7 days of hip and wrist actigraphy monitoring (Actigraph, GT3X and GT9X) to assess 24-hour activity. Total sleep time was identified using the Cole-Kripke algorithm with sleep diaries, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA and SB were classified by Freedson’s cut-points from wake time. Isotemporal substitution models were used to test effects of replacing 30 mins of each behavior with the others on BMI, WC and BP adjusting for age, education and comorbidity. Results: Data from 75 women were included (age=61.4±8.0, 57% college educated, median comorbidities=1[IQR=0-2]). On average, their days were composed of 0.5 hrs MVPA, 6.2 hrs light PA, 10 hrs SB and 5.3 hrs sleep (2.1 hrs non-wear time). In partition models, where all behaviors were entered simultaneously, more MVPA and sleep were associated with lower BMI and WC. In isotemporal substitution models that held total wear time constant (Table 1), replacing 30 mins SB with an equal amount of MVPA or sleep decreased BMI by 1.7 and 0.6 and WC by 4.1 and 1.2 cm. Replacing 30 mins light PA with MVPA or sleep decreased BMI by 1.9 and 0.9 and WC by 4.5 and 1.6 cm. None of the modeled behavior changes affected BP. Conclusion: These findings suggest that substituting 30 mins of SB or light PA with MVPA or sleep could significantly reduce Asian American women’s BMI and WC. Future studies should test the impact of behavioral interventions that promote these changes on CV risk in Asian American women.


Author(s):  
Lilian Messias Sampaio Brito ◽  
Luis Paulo Gomes Mascarenhas ◽  
Deise Cristiane Moser ◽  
Ana Cláudia Kapp Titski ◽  
Monica Nunes Lima Cat ◽  
...  

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2016v18n6p678 The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels on the prevalence of overweight and high blood pressure levels in adolescents. In this observational, cross-sectional study, 614 boys aged 10-14 years were assessed for height, body mass, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP). CRF was assessed using a run test (Léger Test) and subjects were then grouped according to their CRF level. PA level was assessed through a questionnaire (The Three Day Physical Activity Recall) and classified into two groups, namely > 300 minutes of PA/week and < 300 minutes of PA/week. Maturational stage was evaluated according to the development of pubic hair (self-assessment) as proposed by Tanner. We used statistical descriptive analysis, univariate and multivariate analyses in the total participants and subjects were divided by age. Fifty percent of the sample performed < 300 minutes of PA/week and 67.6% had unsatisfactory CRF levels. There was a higher prevalence of unsatisfactory CRF levels among subjects with altered BMI (overweight), WC (abdominal obesity) or BP (high blood pressure) for all age groups. PA history, however, did not show any significance. A total of 31% of participants were overweight, 24.8% had abdominal obesity and 15.4% had increased BP. Unsatisfactory CRF levels were found to be a better predictor for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases (CV) risk factors than PA history, regardless of age group. 


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 3198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Pecora ◽  
Federica Persico ◽  
Alberto Argentiero ◽  
Cosimo Neglia ◽  
Susanna Esposito

Viral infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the importance of public health practices including handwashing and vaccinations in reducing their spread is well established. Furthermore, it is well known that proper nutrition can help support optimal immune function, reducing the impact of infections. Several vitamins and trace elements play an important role in supporting the cells of the immune system, thus increasing the resistance to infections. Other nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, help sustain optimal function of the immune system. The main aim of this manuscript is to discuss of the potential role of micronutrients supplementation in supporting immunity, particularly against respiratory virus infections. Literature analysis showed that in vitro and observational studies, and clinical trials, highlight the important role of vitamins A, C, and D, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc in modulating the immune response. Supplementation with vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids and zinc appears to be a safe and low-cost way to support optimal function of the immune system, with the potential to reduce the risk and consequences of infection, including viral respiratory infections. Supplementation should be in addition to a healthy diet and fall within recommended upper safety limits set by scientific expert bodies. Therefore, implementing an optimal nutrition, with micronutrients and omega-3 fatty acids supplementation, might be a cost-effective, underestimated strategy to help reduce the burden of infectious diseases worldwide, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Famimah Famimah ◽  
Ani Margawati ◽  
Deny Yudi Fitranti

Background: Dysmenorrhea or menstrual pain was a gynecological complaint due to an imbalance of progesterone in the blood resulting in pain. A woman with dysmenorrhea should consume food rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil, fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring), soybeans and fruits. Low fish consumption was related with severity of dysmenorrhea. In addition, physical activity and percent body fat were also associated with severity of dysmenorrhea.Objective : To determine the correlation between consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, physical activity and percent body fat to the classification of dysmenorrhea in adolescents.Methods : Cross sectional study of 90 adolescentsselected by purposive sampling. This research was conducted in SMA N 15 and SMA N 9 Semarang. Menstrual history was measured by direct interviews and level of dysmenorrhea was measured using Numerical Rating Scale Questionnaire. Omega-3 fatty acids were measured using Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and analyzed using a nutritional software program. Physical activity was measured using A short questionnaire for the measurement of habitual physical activity in epidemiological studies. Percent body fat was measured using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). Data were analyzed by Independent T test/Mann Whitney. Result : There were significant correlation in omega-3 fatty acid (p= 0,015), and percent body fat (p= 0,026). While in physical activity there was no significant correlation (p= 0,394).Conclusion : Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and percent body fat were associated with the classification of dysmenorrhea.


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