According to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Stanford, and Harvard University, it is possible to prevent some forms of dementia or delay the onset of it. The key to this is to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Making sure to keep challenging your brain throughout your life, as well as being involved with your community by volunteering or joining a club go a long way when it comes to mental health. Some things you can do:

 

• Exercise: It helps improve your mood and overall fitness. Also, it causes you to form chemicals (growth factors) that help neurons survive and change to new situations. It also increases the size of the hippocampus (part of the brain that helps with memory formation).

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• Balanced Diet: Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and avoid tobacco. Make sure to include vitamins as part of your diet, especially vitamin B12(the lack of this vitamin causes Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome).

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• Maintain A Healthy Weight: Extra weight increases the risk of dementia. Keep a healthy weight by maintaining a good diet and exercising.

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• Limited Alcohol Intake: Lower the amount of alcohol you intake, since it contributes to factors of dementia.

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• Sleep: More than six hours of sleep can help prevent Alzheimer’s by helping you retain your memories.

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• Control Blood Pressure: Studies show that antihypertensive medicine reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s Dementia and Vascular Dementia among elderly people with high blood pressure.

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• Control Cholesterol: People with high cholesterol have a greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s because it forms plaque in the brain.

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• Safety: Head injury can lead to developing dementia. Avoid this by wearing a helmet, seatbelt, and other protective gear while traveling.

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• Education: Researchers have found that education causes the brain to develop strong neural networks that neutralize the effects of Alzheimer’s. People with higher education suffer from less mental decline than people with less education.

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• Stay Socially Active: Attend community events and meet with friends. Make sure to be engaged in pleasurable and challenging activities as well to promote your mental health.

 

References:

• https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/brain-and-nerves/dementia/prevention.html

• https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dementia

• https://memory.ucsf.edu/dementia-overview

• https://www.helpguide.org/articles/alzheimers-dementia-aging/preventing-alzheimers-disease.htm