JOIN USA new study, published in the ‘Lancet Neurology’ journal, says that half of all Alzheimer’s disease cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes such as exercise, healthy eating and not smoking.
In fact, the researchers say thousands of patients could potentially avoid the devastating illness by simply changing bad habits, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported.
They found in the West, an inactive “couch potato” lifestyle was the most important possible cause. Smoking, obesity in middle-age, high blood pressure and diabetes all increased the risk. Together, the modifiable risk factors contributed to 50 per cent of Alzheimer’s cases worldwide.
The study found that not going to secondary school also made developing the disease more likely. The researchers speculate that intense studying may make the brain better equipped to cope with the symptoms.
They now want to carry out more work to find out how many people can prevent the disease by making small changes to their lifestyle.
Lead researcher Prof Deborah Barnes at University of California in San Francisco said certain causes would be more important in different countries. “In our study, what mattered most was how common the risk factors were in the population. For example, in the US, about one third of the population is sedentary, so a large number of Alzheimer’s cases are potentially attributable to physical inactivity.
“Worldwide, low education was more important because literacy rates are lower or people are not educated beyond elementary school. Smoking also contributed to a large percentage of cases,” Dr Barnes said.
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “If further research can prove that the observed risks are causes, then simple changes like quitting smoking and taking regular exercise could have an enormous impact.”