10 Most Reliable Risk Factors For Alzheimer's Disease

10 most reliable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease

These risk factors have the strongest evidence base. They can be influenced to prevent disease.

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Alzheimer's disease develops in about 20% of people by the age of 80. The prevalence of it and other types of dementia is expected to increase in the coming decades. This is partly due to the fact that the world's population continues to grow. Therefore, understanding risk factors is now of particular importance: this knowledge can be used to prevent one of the main diseases of our time.

Alzheimer's disease usually develops under the influence of a number of factors, including age, genetic predisposition, lifestyle. Some of these risk factors are modifiable: by influencing them, you can reduce the likelihood of disease occurrence.

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At various times, scientists have proposed more than 100 risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. But not all of them have been confirmed by sufficiently convincing studies. Now experts identify only 10 factors that can certainly be influenced for the purpose of prevention.

To prevent Alzheimer's disease, you must:

1. Maintain normal blood sugar levels, prevent the development of diabetes.
2. Monitor body weight (body mass index should be below 25).
3. Get the most serious education possible in your youth.
4. Avoid head injuries.
5. Maintain cognitive activity for as long as possible.
6. Prevent or treat depression.
7. Conduct stress prevention (to avoid subsequent increases in cortisol levels).
8. Treat “orthostatic hypotension,” a condition in which the head becomes dizzy and darkens the eyes when standing up.
9. Monitor blood pressure from middle age.
10. Prevent an increase in blood homocysteine ​​levels. It is an amino acid that has been linked to vascular damage. Usually, an increase in its level develops against the background of a lack of folic acid or vitamin B12.

The above 10 factors have a degree of evidence "A", that is, they are confirmed by studies of the highest quality. Interestingly, some of the factors that are commonly associated with the risk of Alzheimer's disease have a grade of evidence "B", they are less reliable. These include lack of sleep, smoking and physical inactivity. Perhaps in the future, good evidence will emerge for other risk factors.

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Scientists are convinced that modifying risk factors can significantly reduce the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease.