This new development comes after another study has found many dementia patients are missing out on early treatments as GPs are failing to diagnoses their condition quickly enough.
British and French researchers came together to search for effective ways of reducing dementia. They took a group of 1,400 elderly people and tested them for signs and symptoms of dementia after two, four and seven years.
In addition to this they also made a record of each participants height, weight, level of education, monthly income, mobility, dietary habits, alcohol consumption and tobacco use.
Participants were also asked to do a reading test in order to measure their intelligence.
The results of the study found that by eliminating depression and diabetes and by increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, new dementia cases were reduced by 21%.
The team also concluded that increasing education would lead to an 18% reduction in new cases over the next seven years.
Clive Ballard is director of research at the Alzheimer’s Society and agrees that a healthy lifestyle is certainly a huge contributing factor in dementia prevention. “Effective prevention of diabetes, depression and heart disease could potentially improve the lives of millions of people affected by this cruel condition and reduce the billions spent on dementia care each year.”
If you have been affected by dementia and would like to talk to a counsellor in confidence, please use the homepage of this site to contact a qualified professional in your area.
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