Future Dementia Cases Predicted to Double, Many Preventable

A new study shows that the risk of developing dementia at any time after age 55 among Americans is 42 percent. That's more than double the risk reported by older studies. Compare that with today's rate where about 10% of Americans over 65 have dementia. So this new study predicts a huge increase!

What many don't know, however, is that the causes of dementia are often actually preventable. Autopsies reveal that about half of all cases of dementia that had been diagnosed as caused by Alzheimer’s turn out to be wrong. Instead, they discovered that other health issues had caused their dementia. And often those issues were treatable.

As the NYU Langone press release notes "Beyond aging, a high risk of dementia is linked to genetic factors, as well as high rates of hypertension and diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, and poor mental health." Add hormonal issues, poor hearing and vision, chronic pain and nutritional deficiencies, and one can see that most of these risk factors are preventable.

Dementia Is Largely Preventable

Simple measures to help ward off dementia can make all the difference. I call it the "DEMENTIA prevention protocol," where DEMENTIA stands for:

Drugs

Many cases of dementia are simply side effects from the medications people are on. And too-often those medications are no longer necessary. People should sit down with their physician and review what medications they can wean off of. For instance, medications such as antihistamines and PPI acid blockers are associated with a dramatically increased risk of dementia while alternatives such as Pepcid, which do not carry this risk, can be used instead.

Emotional

Rule out depression and make sure to get adequate sleep.

Metabolic

Hormonal deficiencies, especially thyroid and testosterone, dramatically increase the risk of Alzheimer's, even with normal blood tests. These hormones need to be optimized.

Ears, Eyes, and Exercise

Hearing and vision loss can mimic dementia. Get these checked. Go for walks in the sunshine as well.

Nutrition

The American diet loses fully half of its vitamins and minerals in food processing. So it is important to give optimal nutritional support with a high potency multivitamin. Make sure vitamin B12 levels are over 540. In particular, make sure the amount of folic acid it provides is optimal as low folate is strongly associated with dramatically increased dementia risk.

In addition, you should cut down on sugar and white flour in your diet. The good news? Enjoying coffee, tea and even dark chocolate in moderation are associated with decreased dementia risk. Meanwhile, over a dozen studies show that a simple supplement called PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide) can decrease chronic pain by well over 50%, and multiple studies suggest that it helps people with even established dementia.

Tumors and Other Brain Lesions

If someone has dementia, they should have an MRI or CT scan performed to rule tumors out as a potential cause.

Infections

Silent urine and sinus infections can drag down mental function.

Anemia and Other Overt Medical Problems

Check for this as both too much and not enough iron worsens dementia.

Paying attention to these possibilities can prevent, or at least lessen, many cases of dementia.