Dementia is closer than it seems

In recent weeks, several international studies have been published, the authors of which have identified, if not direct causes, then at least patterns associated with the risk of dementia. Some researchers draw parallels between the way of eating, others with habits and lifestyle in general. At the same time, specialized associations are sounding the alarm, stating that the number of people suffering from dementia is constantly growing, and will increase many times over in the coming decades.

The more you know, the better you eat

Last week, the journal Neurology published study Chinese scientists on the relationship between type 2 diabetes and some bad habits with the risk of dementia. Over the course of about 12 years, the researchers analyzed the health data of 168,000 people aged 60 and older with and without type 2 diabetes. During the observation period, the subjects were advised to give up some bad habits, such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption, and acquire some healthy habits, among which – regular sleep from seven to nine hours, regular exercise, a healthy diet, stress management, regular social contacts – a total of seven types of recommendations.

During the observation period, dementia developed in 4351 people. Subjects with type 2 diabetes who followed just two or fewer healthy lifestyle recommendations were four times more likely to develop dementia than people without diabetes who followed all seven recommendations. However, among people with diabetes who followed all seven recommendations, only 0.28% developed dementia. “Our study has shown that even people with type 2 diabetes can significantly reduce their risk of dementia by adopting a healthier lifestyle.” noted one of the authors of the study, Professor of Shanghai Medical University Lu Yinli.

Dementia is a syndrome that occurs as a result of damage to the brain and the destruction of its cells (neurons), characterized by a deterioration in cognitive functions.

Dementia is acquired dementia and does not refer to one specific disorder, but to a syndrome that can lead to various diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.

The first sign of the development of Alzheimer’s disease is memory impairment. As a rule, short-term memory suffers, when the patient cannot remember recent events. At the same time, old events are remembered by patients much better. Another symptom of the disease is the periodically inadequate behavior of the patient. This can manifest itself as unreasonable aggression, increased irritability.

Also last week was known about an international study in which scientists concluded that ultra-processed foods such as soda, chips, ice cream, sausage, ketchup, mayonnaise and others can increase the risk of dementia by 25%. The researchers analyzed data from about 502,000 people in the UK from 2006 to 2010. In addition, information was studied from a specialized biobank (database with biomaterials) on 76.4 thousand people aged 55 years and older who did not have a genetic predisposition to dementia. As part of the study, scientists analyzed 518 cases of the onset of the first symptoms of dementia, of which 287 were related to Alzheimer’s disease and 119 to vascular dementia. After analyzing the diet of the subjects, the scientists found that with an increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods by 10%, the risk of dementia increased by 25%, vascular dementia by 28%, and Alzheimer’s disease by 14%.

Ultra-processed foods are foods that are low in protein and very high in added sugar, fat, and salt.

Among such products are sweet soda, sweet and savory snacks (chips, etc.), ice cream, deep-frozen and packaged chicken, sausage, canned tomatoes and beans, ketchup, mayonnaise.

“Ultra-processed foods are considered very convenient and delicious, but they seriously harm normal nutrition,” said study co-author Li Huiping from Tianjin Medical University. “Such foods may contain food additives or other substances that have been processed during packaging or heating, which negatively affect thinking and memory. Our study not only found a link between ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of dementia, but also that when such foods are replaced with healthier foods, the risk of dementia is reduced.”

The study found that with an increase in the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods by only 50 grams per day, which is equivalent to half an apple, a serving of corn or a serving of bran bread, the risk of dementia is reduced by 3%. The same 3% reduction in the risk of dementia is achieved by eating just 50 grams a day less of ultra-processed foods, such as not eating one candy bar or a serving of packaged thawed fish fingers. “We were impressed with how little it takes to make easy, affordable changes to your daily diet to reduce your risk of dementia,” said the Chinese scientist. However, the authors emphasize that their conclusions cannot be considered as revealing the exact direct causes of dementia, but only fixing a number of patterns between a certain type of diet and the onset of dementia.

dementia epidemic

In early September, the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada statedthat the number of Canadians with dementia will triple in the next 30 years. If at the end of 2020 there were about 597 thousand inhabitants in the country with such an illness, then by 2050 their number will reach 1.7 million. “As the representatives of the large generation of baby boomers age, the number of Canadians suffering from dementia will increase significantly,” – said the author of the report, Joshua Armstrong. Recently, the number of people over the age of 65 has been growing in Canada – now there are almost 7 million people, or 19% of the total population, while five years ago the proportion of the elderly population of this age in Canada was 16.9%. Canadian scientists warn that while dementia typically affects people over the age of 65, it has recently become more common in people in their 40s and 50s.

Scientists believe that in addition to old age, other factors also influence the development of dementia – the presence of bad habits, unhealthy diet, lack of regular physical activity, lack of intellectual activity, problems with the cardiovascular system.

It’s not just Canadian scientists who are sounding the alarm. Last Wednesday, the British Dementia Society (Dementia UK) reportedthat since 2014 the number of cases of so-called. early dementia, that is, in people younger than 65 years of age. If in 2014 there were 29 thousand of them, now it is 70.8 thousand. Now the number of such people in Britain is 7.5% of the total number of dementia sufferers. “We know that early dementia is not yet as well understood and is less well diagnosed. All this leads to delays in the provision of timely assistance. I fear the 70,800 figure may be just the tip of the iceberg,” said Hilda Hajo, head of Dementia UK. “Dementia is a growing health crisis. As the number of diseases increases, it is necessary to provide the needy and their families with timely support from specialists.”

By data According to Arab media, about 3 million people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region currently suffer from dementia. By 2050, according to WHO and the Alzheimer’s Association International (ADI), the number of dementia sufferers in the MENA region will increase by almost five times, to 14 million.

In total, the number of people with dementia in the world will increase from the current 55 million to 139 million by 2050.

Speaking about the Middle East and North Africa, experts emphasize that the weak level of diagnostics and the silence of this problem are a big problem. ADI chief executive Paola Barbarino said that even in the wealthy Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, attention is only now beginning to be paid to this problem. “Alzheimer’s disease is still heavily stigmatized. But the big surprise is that there is no plan yet in the high-income countries of the Middle East to prepare for dealing with this crisis in the near future, ”the expert said in an interview with the Emirates newspaper The National.

Evgeniy Khvostik