Promising Strategies for the

Prevention of Dementia
Laura E. Middleton, PhD; Kristine Yaffe, MD

I chose this subject because dementia is a very common disease that affects
most older adults and its incidence raise with the pass of the years.
Nowadays dementia in all its varieties is a major subject of research in
medicine and it continues having many unsolved questions regardless its
etiology, physiopathology, treatment and the most important thing; How can
we prevent it?
Although has been developed many pharmacological treatments for dementia
they only modestly improve symptoms so in the last years many investigations
have come with promising strategies for the prevention of dementia, some of
the most studied are: vascular risk factor control, cognitive activity, physical
activity, social engagement, diet, and recognition of depression.

Some types of dementia share many risk factors and pathologic features with
atherosclerosis so, we can deduce that modification in vascular risk might
reduce the risk of dementia, some of the most prevalent diseases with vascular
risk factors are: hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes, which are common
in aged individuals and if we add them tobacco consumption the risk of
dementia nearly doubles. Research has emerged to suggest that cognitive
activity, more generally, is associated with a reduced risk of developing
cognitive decline and dementia, it includes occupation and leisure activities
which maximize memory, reasoning, and mental processing speed in older
adults, in the same way physical activity has demonstrated to be a potentially
protective factor against the risk of dementia as we already know it is a strong
vascular risk modifier, similarly social engagement through visits with friends
and relatives, going to movies, clubs, centers, and church, and volunteering
may be protective against developing cognitive impairment.

Many diseases with vascular risk factors can be modified by diet, lower risk of
dementia has largely been attributed to antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty
acids. Some studies found that older people with depressive symptoms were
more likely to have dementia, the treatment of depression seems to improve
cognitive function in people who are depressed.

Given the current situation of dementia:

1. Lifestyle and biological factors might alter the risk of dementia.

2. Prevention is crucial as one of the most promising interventions.
3. Leisure activities with the 3 components (social activity, cognitive
activity, and physical activity) are the most beneficial.