Understanding and Improving the Effects of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: How to Improve Your Health and Wellbeing

By Martin Harvey

Looking to gain a better understanding of the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? Look no further than this informative and practical guide. With a focus on helping readers maintain their well-being and happiness, this book offers clear explanations of the symptoms associated with both conditions, including common signs like losing items such as keys or glasses, forgetting a friend’s name, or struggling to find the right word.

As the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease progress, they can significantly interfere with daily life. However, this book provides practical advice that can help individuals and their loved ones navigate these challenges and maintain their quality of life for as long as possible. Whether you are looking to learn more about these conditions for personal or professional reasons, this book is an excellent resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of this important topic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Aug 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035814190

Martin Harvey

Martin Harvey has previously written a book and had it published under the title: Problem Solving For Individuals and Companies. This book is a life-changing experience that will project yourself forward by solving problems at all levels.

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Understanding and Improving the Effects of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

I have previously written a book and had it published under the title: Problem Solving For Individuals and Companies.

This book is a life-changing experience that will project yourself forward by solving problems at all levels.

Copyright Information ©

Martin Harvey 2023

The right of Martin Harvey to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035814183 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035814190 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

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Reducing the Effects of Dementia

Seven simple steps could nearly

halve dementia risk

Adopting seven healthy habits can lower the risk of dementia by up to 43 percent, even in people genetically predisposed to developing it, research has found.

Those who are active, eat well, lose weight, do not smoke, and keep their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar under control are up to 43 percent less likely to develop the condition.

However, it was not previously clear whether those habits were still helpful in people whose genes put them at higher risk. The good news is that even for people at the highest genetic risk, living this same healthier lifestyle (is likely to) lower the risk of dementia, said the study’s author, Dr Adrienne Tin from the University of Mississippi Medical Centre.

For the study, published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers followed almost 12,000 people living in the US for 30 years. Around 9,000 had European ancestry and 3,000 had African ancestry, and they were age 54 on average when the study began. Participants were given a score ranging from 0 to 14, depending on how well they adhered to all seven of the health factors. Researchers also calculated their genetic risk scores, depending on whether they had variants linked to a higher or lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

By the end of the study, 1,603 people with European ancestry and 631 people with African ancestry had developed dementia. Across all five genetic risk groups, those with the highest scores on lifestyle factors were more than 40 percent less likely to develop dementia.

While trends appeared similar in African-Americans, the smaller ample meant that the findings were less certain. Larger sample sizes from diverse populations are needed to get more reliable estimates, Tin said.

Overall, in the European ancestry group, those with the highest lifestyle scores were 43 percent less likely to develop dementia than those with the lowest. Among the African group, people with the highest lifestyle scores had a 17 percent lower risk than those with the lowest.

Dr Rosa Sancho, head of research for Alzheimer’s research UK, said, Dementia risk depends on many factors. Some, like our age and genetic make-up, we cannot change, while others, like diet and exercise, we can. This study supports the idea that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain. The lower number of African-American participants means that the findings for this group are less clear. We will need further studies to assess how good heart health affects dementia risk in the wider population, with sufficient people from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

The healthy habits

Manage blood pressure – High blood pressure strains the heart, arteries and kidneys and can be cut by a healthy diet, exercise and medicine.

Control Cholesterol – A high level of LDL cholesterol clogs arteries. Again a healthy diet, exercise and medicine can help.

Reduce blood sugar – High blood sugar damages the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves. A healthy weight and insulin can help.

Better Diet – Eat more vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, legumes, nuts, poultry and fish, and reduce salt, refined carbohydrates and processed food.

Lose weight – The NHS has courses to help.

Stop smoking – Try nicotine replacement products or switch to vaping.

(Source: The American Heart Association "Life’s simple 7")

Dementia

More than 900,000 people in the UK have dementia with Alzheimer’s accounting for 60–70% of cases. This figure is expected to grow as the population ages, but it can also affect people who are younger than 65.

So dementia is an umbrella term for a range of progressive conditions that affect the brain. Each type stops a person’s brain from working properly in specific areas such as memory loss, confusion and problems with speech and understanding that get worse over time, including difficulty with day-to-day tasks.

Are there any common signs?

One of the greatest problems in recognising the various forms of dementia is that it affects people in different ways. However, some of the most common signs to watch out for are:

Memory loss

Declining memory is probably the most readily recognised symptom. This is more than forgetfulness. A person may not only forget someone’s name but not recognise that person as their neighbour or relative.

Increase in dependency

A classic example being an increase in the number of phone calls. It can appear quite normal at first but often escalates to the point where some family members stop answering the phone. Unfortunately, the caller’s anxiety continues and they simply call again.

Confusion as to time and place – We all forget

The day of the week or losing track of time momentarily but for people with dementia, this takes on another dimension. They will often forget the day of the week, forget where they live or want to return to a home they lived in many years ago.

Mood swings and unusual behaviour

A person with dementia may exhibit a change in their demeanour, becoming unusually emotional, perhaps irritable or experiencing rapid mood swings. Others will often start crying for no apparent reason which can be understandably distressing.

Misplacing things

Anyone can temporarily misplace their wallet or keys but a person with dementia may put things in an unusual place, with neither reason not logic. In the early stages, they will realise that they have misplaced something and become frustrated when they cannot find it in the place they expect it to be.

The Jekyll and Hyde factor

Someone living with dementia may seem to take on a completely different personality. They may become rude, objectionable, cantankerous, anxious, depressed, irritable and suspicious to the point that you may not be sure that you ever knew them.

The familiar becomes an ordeal

People living with dementia often find that simple tasks like getting dressed and putting clothes on in the right order, or the appropriate clothes for the current weather conditions, just don’t make sense. Watch out for things like an unopened post, unpaid bills, strange changes in diet etc.

Lack of drive

No matter how out of character it may seem, dementia sufferers may appear to be lethargic, content to watch TV for hours, sleeping more than usual and losing interest in their usual hobbles.

Is there a most at risk group?

Generally, the more elderly the person, the higher the risk. People in their 80s and 90s make up a large percentage of cases but don’t assume that means younger mums, dads or grandparents are just having off days. Some people may start showing the first signs much sooner. Early-onset dementia affects over 40,000 people under the age of 65 in the UK.

Peas and broccoli can cut dementia risk

Eating peas, broccoli and spinach could cut your risk of developing dementia, research suggests.

People with higher levels of the nutrients found in the vegetables kept their mental faculties for up to decades longer than those who did not, scientists discovered.

The research published in the journal Neurology found that three kinds of antioxidants were key to fending off dementia. These were Lutein and zeaxanthin, found in green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli and peas and beta-cryptoxanthin, which is contained if fruits such as oranges, papayas, tangerines and persimmons.

Researcher Dr May Beydoun said, Extending people’s cognitive functioning is an important public health challenge. Antioxidants may help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can cause cell damage.

The study involved 7283 people who were at least 45 years old when it started. Those involved had a physical exam, interview and blood tests for antioxidant levels at the beginning of the study. They were then followed for an average of 16 years to see who developed dementia.

Dr Beydoun added, It’s important to note that the effect of these antioxidants on the risk of dementia was reduced somewhat when we took into account other factors such as education, income and physical activity, so it’s possible that those factors may help to explain the relationship between antioxidant levels and dementia.

Dr James Connell, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK said, Research suggests that oxidative stress can contribute to damage to brain cells in the diseases that causes dementia. While this research highlights a potentially interesting finding, it is important that research takes a long-term view of factors that may affect risk.

The diseases that cause dementia develop over many years but this study only looked at antioxidant levels at one point in time. While this research highlights a potential benefit from antioxidants, the only way to know if particular foods or dietary supplements containing these could help reduce dementia risk is through careful clinical trials in the future.

Too much napping may cause

dementia

Napping too much during the day could be both a cause and an effect of dementia, a study suggests. US researchers have discovered a ‘vicious cycle’ between excessive daytime napping among the elderly and the onset of the debilitating disease. They tracked 1,400 retirees with an average age of 81 over four years. Participants were asked to wear a watch-like device that tracked mobility for 14 consecutive days each year, while they had annual tests to evaluate their cognition.

Analysis revealed that for participants who did not develop cognitive impairment, daily napping increased by an average of 11 minutes per year. But after a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, this doubled to 24 minutes, and this nearly tripled to 68 minutes after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. When researchers looked at the participants who had normal cognition at the start of the study, but developed Alzheimer’s six years later, and compared them with those whose mental; skills remained stable, they found that those who napped for more than an hour a day had a 40 percent higher risk if developing Alzheimer’s than those who napped for less than an hour a day.

Author Peng Li said, The vicious cycle we observed between daytime sleep and Alzheimer’s disease offers a basis for better understanding the role of sleep in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. Co-author Yue Leng added, I don’t think we have enough evidence to draw conclusions about a causal relationship that napping itself causes cognitive ageing but excessive daytime napping might be a signal of accelerated cognitive ageing. The results of the researchers – from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Centre in Chicago and the university of California, San Francisco, were published in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia journal.

Danger of air pollution for

dementia

Scientists in Sweden have found that people who experience higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk of dementia. Scientists looked at people’s exposure to two major air pollutants, particulate matter – a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets from the burning of fossil fuels – and nitrogen oxide also produced from road traffic exhaust. The annual average level of particulate matter in the study was considered low compared with international standards. Researchers followed 3,000 study volunteers with an average age of 74 living in central Stockholm, who did not have dementia at the start of the study. Over 121 years, 364 people developed dementia. They found in the last five years of the study, people exposed to an increased level of the air pollutants were more likely to develop dementia. The researchers also looked at whether heart disease affected the link between air pollution and dementia. They found that having heart disease increased the risk of dementia with stroke showing a particularly strong link in air pollution-related dementia cases.

Statins could stave off dementia

Last year researchers at the university of Milan published an analysis of 57 studies and found that older people taking high-dose statins had a 20 percent lower risk of dementia, while people on low-dose statins had a 16 percent reduced risk. Writing in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, the researchers speculated that the brain-protective benefits may stem from the fact that statins have bot anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, as well