{"id":14407,"date":"2026-06-09T11:42:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T11:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/?p=14407"},"modified":"2026-06-09T11:42:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T11:42:05","slug":"diet-dementia-and-the-power-of-lifestyle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/diet-dementia-and-the-power-of-lifestyle\/","title":{"rendered":"Diet, dementia and the power of lifestyle choices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr Linia Patel explores dementia and the power of lifestyle and diet choices to impact individuals with dementia.<\/h2>\n

Globally, around 55 million people live with dementia, and this number is expected to double by 2030 due to our ageing population.<\/h5>\n

Dementia is a devastating diagnosis \u2013 for the individual but also for the people who love them. I\u2019ve witnessed it first hand. My darling late mother, who was fiercely independent and razor sharp, slowly became a shell of her former self as vascular dementia took hold. It\u2019s a painful, powerless feeling. Sadly, her story is not unique. Two thirds of those affected by dementia are women1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

What is dementia \u2013 and where does Alzheimer\u2019s fit in?1,2,3,4<\/sup><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Dementia isn\u2019t a single disease or syndrome. It\u2019s an umbrella term used to describe a range of symptoms that affect the cognitive decline \u2013 symptoms severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer\u2019s disease, a degenerative brain disease, is the most common cause of dementia, responsible for 60-80% of all cases. But it\u2019s not the only one. Vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia are other types, each with their own patterns and causes.<\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s typically starts with subtly misplacing words, feeling overwhelmed by tasks that once felt easy or forgetting recent events. It\u2019s more than the occasional \u201cWhere did I put my keys?\u201d Over time, the disease progresses, affecting mood, language and, eventually, the ability to carry out basic daily functions. These stages are referred to as early, middle and late. Late stage can even affect innate actions like swallowing. On average, once diagnosed, cognitive function declines steadily \u2013 about three points per year on the 30-point Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).<\/p>\n

Diagnosis1,4<\/sup><\/strong><\/h4>\n

There\u2019s no single test for dementia. Diagnosis involves a combination of tools, including a detailed medical history, cognitive and neurological exams, and, in some cases, brain scans (MRI, CT, or PET) or lab tests. Doctors use criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)<\/em>\u00a0to guide the process. While it\u2019s not always definitive, this approach helps distinguish Alzheimer\u2019s from other causes of memory loss and confusion.<\/p>\n

What increases your risk?1,2,3,4,5<\/sup><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Dementia is caused by conditions that damage brain cells and disrupt their ability to communicate. This damage tends to occur in specific areas of the brain, which is why different types of dementia present with different symptoms. In Alzheimer\u2019s disease, for example, abnormal protein build-up (\u03b2-amyloid)<\/strong> affects cells in the hippocampus \u2013 the area responsible for memory and learning \u2013 which is why memory loss is often one of the earliest signs.<\/p>\n

Age is the strongest known risk factor. While dementia is not a normal part of ageing, the likelihood of developing it increases significantly with age \u2013 most people with Alzheimer\u2019s are over 65. Sex also matters \u2013 women are at greater risk, with two out of every three people living with Alzheimer\u2019s being female. This is partly due to longevity but may also involve the drastic hormonal changes (particularly oestrogen) in the menopause.<\/p>\n

Genetics also play a role. People without a genetic predisposition have about a 13% lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s. But carrying one copy of the APOE4 gene increases that risk by around 30% and having two copies \u2013 one from each parent \u2013 raises it to over 50%. These inherited risk genes don\u2019t guarantee the disease but they do raise susceptibility. There are also rare deterministic genes that directly cause Alzheimer\u2019s, though these account for only a small proportion of cases.<\/p>\n

Some evidence also suggests that race may play a role. Based on data compiled by the Internation Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u2019s Research and Education Coalition, older African Americans are twice as likely and older Latinos 1.5 times as likely to develop Alzheimer\u2019s compared to older white adults \u2013 likely due in part to higher rates of vascular disease.<\/p>\n

While age, sex, race and genetics are factors we can\u2019t change, many others are within our control. The 2024\u00a0<\/em>Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>highlights 14 modifiable risk factors that could account for up to 40% of global dementia cases, pointing to the power of prevention through lifestyle and environmental changes.<\/p>\n

The Lancet Commission Report identified 14 modifiable risk factors3<\/sup>:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Low education (early life)<\/li>\n
  2. Hypertension<\/li>\n
  3. Hearing loss<\/li>\n
  4. Smoking<\/li>\n
  5. Obesity<\/li>\n
  6. Depression<\/li>\n
  7. Physical inactivity<\/li>\n
  8. Diabetes<\/li>\n
  9. Low social contact<\/li>\n
  10. Excessive alcohol use<\/li>\n
  11. Traumatic brain injury<\/li>\n
  12. Air pollution<\/li>\n
  13. Sleep problems<\/li>\n
  14. Excessive sedentary behaviour<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The report highlighted that addressing most risk factors in the mid-life had the greatest impact in delaying or preventing the onset of dementia later in life.<\/p>\n

    Nutrition and lifestyle strategies for dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s1,4,5<\/sup><\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Your brain is home to around 100 billion nerve cells (neurons), each forming thousands of connections in a vast communication network. These cells need to generate fuel, process and store information, remove waste and stay in constant communication with one another. To keep all this running smoothly, your brain depends on a steady supply of nutrients, oxygen and metabolic support. This is why how you live \u2013 what you eat, how you move, how well you sleep \u2013 matters so much. It\u2019s about protecting this complex system over time. The biological changes that lead to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer\u2019s disease don\u2019t happen overnight. They begin quietly, often decades before symptoms appear.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Diets for dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s4,5,6,7,8,9,10<\/sup><\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Several dietary patterns have been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease, particularly the\u00a0Mediterranean diet<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0MIND diet<\/strong>\u00a0(Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay). Brain scans show that the brain of a 60-year-old women on the Mediterranean diet looks five years younger than that of a 50-year-old women on the Western diet. A Mediterranean diet features an abundance of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish and olive oil.