I have been trying to put some order into the news reporting in the media of causes of ‘dementia’.
Over the last few years, from about 2020 to present days, almost on a daily basis, science journalists report on new research findings on plausible causes of ‘dementia’ and what we can do to prevent it.
I have attempted some form of categorisation. For example: genetic predisposition, education, nutrition and lifestyles. Of these four categories, two stand out as preventative measures: nutrition and lifestyles.
The implications are clear: if we eat all the things that scientists tell us will reduce our risks and if we do all the physical and social activities scientists recommend we will not ‘get ‘dementia’.
Here are a few example headlines:
NUTRITION
The Times – 15/09/2022 – multivitamins may ward off dementia.
The Times 05/10/2022 – oily fish/omega-3 are good for brain health and especially to maintain a large hippocampus which is the seat of memory deposits in the brain and therefore we will have more efficient memory and better performance in abstract reasoning skills.
The Mirror – 26/10/2023 – Eat food with higher levels of triglycerides fats- e.g. eggs: ‘higher triglyceride levels may … protect against of dementia’.
The Times – 07/12/2023 – cocoa prevent dementia?
The Times 12/11/2024 – 14 lifestyles and health factors to prevent ‘dementia’
The Times 24/07/2024 – where fat congregates more – arms and belly – is linked to greater risk of Alzheimer’s.
The Conversation 09/02/2024 – gut bacterium A celatus produces a compound in gut called equol, found in soy products and linked to ‘improved brain function in older people’.
The Conversation – 05/02/2025 – some bacteria in our mouths are good for brain health i.e. Neisseria and Haemophilus lead to better brain health and better performance in cognitive tests; these bacteria derive from vegetable-rich diet, nitrate-rich vegetables such as leafy greens such as spinach and rocket.
LIFESTYLES:
The Times 25/02/2022 – seven healthy habits halve the risk of dementia.
The Times 02/7/2022 – lifestyle changes can lower risk of Alzheimer’s in 4/10 cases even where people carry a genetic GENE for Alzheimer’s.
The Times 22/08/2022 – exercise prevents dementia e.g. swimming, gardening, walking, yoga, etc
The Times 23/08/2022 – keeping your heart healthy prevents dementia.
The Times 02/03/2022 – more exercise in early menopause may prevent dementia caused by early menopause.
The Times 26/12/2023 – depression, lack of vitamin D, strokes raise risk of developing dementia before age 65.
The Times – 27/10/2023 ‘dementia to double by 2040 driven by poor lifestyles’ i.e. 1.7 million people with ‘dementia’ by 2040. ‘Four in ten cases of dementia could be prevented through improving lifestyles, including stopping smoking, losing weight and drinking less alcohol’.
The Times 27/07/2024 – twelve life style factors contributing to higher risks of ‘dementia’
The Times 31/07/2024 – fourteen lifestyle factors implicated in preventing or not ‘dementia’; but must start in middle age
Online PsyPost – 10-03-2025 – Depression linked to increased risk of dementia over 15 years.
BUT…
In all the reporting there is very little or no information on exactly which brain disease that presents symptoms of ‘dementia’ is affected by the different ‘causes’.
There are several diseases that affect different parts of the brain in different ways. Memory, language and social behaviour are the three main human functions that present altered expressions as a result of diseases that damage the brain. BUT, each brain disease affects memory and language and social behaviour quite discretely. For example, strokes cause what is called ‘vascular dementia’. BUT strokes can affect the brain in so many different ways that language is affected in a myriad of different ways.
CONCLUSION?
WE NEED much clearer and precise information.