Dementia is an umbrella term for a cluster of symptoms associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning that tends to affect people as they age, but it is not a natural part of ageing.
Alzheimer’s disease, a neurological disorder characterised by memory loss and cognitive decline, is the most common form of dementia.
While it is not known how to prevent the neurological disorders associated with dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, a report published today adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that early lifestyle interventions may reduce your risk.
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The report, conducted by The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee, has revealed that drinking coffee can help to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disorders.
To gather the findings, the researchers, led by Dr Elisabet Rothenberg, analysed previous studies investigating the role of specific dietary decisions play in reducing the risk of neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s (PD).
Their analysis suggests that a higher intake of coffee could not only help to keep the risks of developing these disorders at bay, but it may also alleviate symptoms.
According to Dr Rothenberg, research suggests that drinking up to five cups of coffee a day could offer a defence against developing neurodegenerative conditions including Parkinson’s Disease.
While research is yet to explain the association, the researchers hope the findings will encourage further studies into coffee.
Dr Rothenberg added: “Neurodegenerative conditions such as AD and PD markedly change life conditions by successively impairing functional capacity, with profound effects on independence and well-being.
“Currently no curative treatment is available, and therefore ways to reduce the risk of developing these conditions or relieve symptoms is laudable.
“At present research has shown promising results regarding the impact of life-style factors including diet. The Mediterranean diet has been of main interest.
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“There are also some interesting studies regarding coffee consumption suggesting that caffeine is potentially beneficial in preventing AD and PD.
“However, it is still too early to draw firm conclusions regarding causal relationship between dietary factors and the risk of developing AD and PD. Further research is required.”
Other ways to reduce your risk
According to the Alzheimer’s Society, of all the lifestyle changes that have been studied, taking regular physical exercise appears to be one of the most promising ways to reduce your risk of getting dementia.
Several studies looking at the effect of aerobic exercise in middle-aged or older adults have reported improvements in thinking and memory, and reduced rates of dementia.
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Several prospective studies have looked at middle-aged people and the effects of physical exercise on their thinking and memory in later life.
Combining the results of 11 studies shows that regular exercise can significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia by about 30 percent.
For Alzheimer’s disease specifically, the risk was reduced by 45 percent.
One particular study looked at health behaviours of over 2,000 men in Wales, and followed them for 35 years.
Of the five behaviours that were assessed (regular exercise, not smoking, moderate alcohol intake, healthy body weight and healthy diet), exercise had the greatest effect in terms of reducing dementia risk.
Overall, people who followed four or five of the above behaviours were up to 60 percent less likely to develop dementia.
In the short term, aerobic exercise can also improve the performance of healthy adults on thinking tests.
Aggregating the results of 29 clinical trials revealed that a month or more of regular aerobic exercise resulted in improvements in memory, attention and processing speed when compared with regular non-aerobic exercise such as stretching and toning.
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