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5 New Year’s resolutions to help reduce your risk of dementia

Here are five things you can do to help lower your chances of developing dementia, with illustrations by multi-award winning cartoonist, the late Tony Husband.

 

Like many people, you may have made some resolutions for the New Year. Perhaps you’re determined to improve your health by doing more exercise or drinking less alcohol.

Making healthier choices can help reduce your risk of dementia. While some things that affect your risk of dementia can’t be changed, such as your age or genes, there are many things you can change.

Here are just five of the things you can do to help lower your risk of dementia. They are relevant to everyone but especially important if you’re in your 40s, 50s or 60s.

 

1. Get moving

One of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia is being physically active several times each week.

This helps to keep you healthy in so many ways, including looking after the blood vessels in your brain so they’re able to keep supplying it with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to work properly.

Physical activity is also good for your mental health and helps you to sleep better.

Try to do a combination of activities you’ll enjoy, as you’re more likely to stick to them, such as:

  • activities that get you moving and breathing faster, such as brisk walking, swimming, pilates, or riding a bike
  • activities that strengthen your muscles, such as digging and shovelling in the garden, dancing, climbing stairs, or lifting weights.

Older people who are at risk of falling may find exercises that strengthen their legs help them to stay steadier on their feet. They can also help to reduce joint pain.

 

2. Eat well

A healthy, balanced diet reduces your risk of dementia, as well as several other health conditions including cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

Top tips for healthy eating include eating:

  • wholegrain foods in most meals, such as wholemeal bread, rice and breakfast cereals
  • lots of fruits, vegetables, pulses (beans, peas, lentils), nuts and seeds
  • at least two portions of fish each week, including an oily fish such as salmon, sardines or mackerel.
  • lower-fat dairy foods
  • less red or processed meat
  • only having sugary foods, such as biscuits, cakes or chocolate, as occasional treats (rather than with every cup of tea or coffee)
  • less salt – ideally no more than about a teaspoon (6g) each day.

The Eatwell Guide from the NHS shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

 

3. Quit smoking and cut down on alcohol

If you smoke, you’re putting yourself at much higher risk of developing dementia later in life, as well as other conditions such as cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Drinking too much alcohol also increases your risk.

Aim to drink no more than 14 units per week, which is equivalent to about 7 pints of lower-strength beer or lager, and try not to drink more than 6 to 8 units at a time.

To see the full article please visit the Alzheimer’s Society website here

 

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