Tackling physical inactivity will reduce levels of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, and prevent some people from developing dementia – it’s a win-win situation.
- Carol Brayne
The estimate is lower than the previous estimate of one in two cases as it takes into account the fact some of the risk factors used in previous studies are related. For example, three of the risk factors (diabetes, hypertension and obesity) are linked with physical inactivity and all of these are related to educational level.
Current estimates suggest that by 2050, more than 106 million people will be living with Alzheimer’s disease, a huge increase on the 30 million people affected by the disease in 2010. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a complex interplay of genetic and lifestyle factors. Amongst the greatest lifestyle factors are lack of exercise, smoking, poor educational attainment and depression, all of which can be targeted to reduce the risk.
A study published in 2011 suggested that as many as one in two cases of Alzheimer’s could potentially be prevented by modifying lifestyle factors. However, this study treated the risk factors as being independent of one another. In today’s study, led by Professor Carol Brayne from the Cambridge Institute of Public Health at the University of Cambridge and involving co-authors from the 2011 study, this estimate has been lowered to one in three cases.
Read the full story
Image:The Unwelcome Season (cropped)
Credit: MTSOfan
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
____________________________________________