With age, inflammation increases – the process of the immune system, which continues in the body all the time. But it increases even more as a person gets older, due to the malfunction of immune cells. Inflammation contributes to the process of neurodegeneration – the progressive loss of brain cells – which begins about 20-30 years before the dementia diagnosis.
Another thing that happens with age is the increase in concomitant diseases. In other words, as we get older, we get sicker and sicker. These concomitant diseases affect men more. Although women are more likely to report health problems and consult a doctor about them. But as they progress over the years, these concomitant diseases, which they will increasingly acquire, cause an increased inflammatory load on the body, increasing the risk of dementia.
Researchers have found at least 12 risk factors that can increase the likelihood of dementia:
- hearing loss in middle age,
- high blood pressure,
- smoking,
- air pollution,
- low level of education,
- traumatic brain injuries,
- lack of physical activity,
- diabetes,
- excessive alcohol consumption,
- depression,
- social isolation,
Dementia can be prevented by paying attention to these 12 risk factors.
Your 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 years are the ideal age to think about your lifestyle, especially about exercise and diet, and whether something can be changed. Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, changes will be made in your reach that will give you a better chance of having a healthy brain now and in the future.
