Alzheimer’s disease: 5 daily habits that increase risk of dementia

Are you using it or losing it? Maintaining brain health can be a tricky business especially in today's time and age due to drawbacks of our modern lifestyle. Instead of challenging our brains, we are making it lazy and the consequences could be disastrous. A mind that doesn't 'exercise' can shrink which could lead to cognitive decline and also increase risk of Alzheimer's disease. Our eating habits could also take a toll as sugar-laden and high-calorie food can lead to inflammation of brain. Besides, alcohol and drug use can cause early brain tissue loss which could cause brain to age prematurely.

As regards Alzheimer's disease, it is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells. Amyloid, a protein forms plaques around brain cells, while another protein tau could form tangles within brain cells. This process may start as early as at the age of 40 which is early-onset Alzheimer's.

Anyone leading a stressful, sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle could be at early risk of Alzheimer's or dementia. When the brain health starts to deteriorate, one doesn't really derive joy from life and it seems like a burden. To avoid risk of these brain diseases, one must make healthy changes in lifestyle.

Dr. Mazhar Abbas Turabi, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Masina Hospital, Byculla, Mumbai tells HT Digital about harmful habits that could put us at risk of Alzheimer's disease and also how we can turn around our lifestyle.

HARMFUL HABITS THAT CAN CAUSE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

1. Having a sedentary lifestyle: Sedentary lifestyles and inadequate exercise unquestionably slow down the brain as well as contribute to many lifestyle diseases. Exercise offers a number of advantages that fend off cognitive issues in addition to being essential for keeping our brains healthy and sharp as we age. They increase heart rate, release feel-good endorphins, and — most importantly — promote blood flow to the brain, which maintains brain health.

2. Insufficient sleep: Lack of sleep can cause sleepiness during the day and may lower your productivity and attention span. Not getting enough sleep for a long time may increase a level of protein in your brain called Tau, which is directly related to cognitive decline and can cause Alzheimer’s disease.

3. Dehydration: Normally, it is recommended to drink 8 glasses of water in a day as our body is made up of 70% of water. Therefore, not drinking enough water or consuming foods that contains liquid can cause dehydration which causes dementia.

4. Drug and alcohol use: Overindulging in alcohol for an extended period of time can harm your brain and raise your risk of dementia. Alcohol consumption in moderation hasn't been definitively linked to an increased risk of dementia, nor has it been demonstrated to provide much protection against getting dementia.

5. A poor diet: Reduce the intake of high saturated fats like cheese butter cakes, red meat etc as they are known to increase the risk of cognitive issues. Instead, replace these foods by consuming fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamins and minerals.

HEALTHY HABITS FOR BRAIN

To keep our brains healthy, we should try to follow the following tips:

- Eat healthfully

- Abstain from alcohol and drugs

- Take a break from work and enjoy yourself

- Take the time to see your family

- Exercise and practice yoga

- Prevent stress

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/alzheimers-disease-5-daily-habits-that-increase-risk-of-dementia-101667735434790.html

How credible is Porosh?

Intriguing as it may appear, we felt the need to raise the issue of Porosh’s credibility and also respond to it as well. Over the years we have observed that the above issue is at the top of an individual’s mind who seeks elderly care support for parent(s) through organizations like Porosh. Infact a few of those who are genuinely interested seek contact numbers from the existing pool of members of Porosh to check the veracity of what we commit in terms of services on offer.

Porosh, as some of you may be aware, is not an NGO. Thus, it does not get, or seek any financial grant, or assistance from any agency. It has to fend for itself. Hence, for sustaining our growth we have adopted a two-pronged strategy. One, to serve the members dedicatedly by offering value for money. Two, like any professionally managed organization, take adequate measures for the well-being of employees. This includes mentoring and training too. Their grievances are also heard and responded to in the quickest possible time. The above strategies seem to be serving us quite well and that is where the issue of credibility comes into play.

Usually ‘member acquisition’ is always at the top of the list of KPIs for any organization but for Porosh it is a bit a different. While ‘member acquisition’ is a given for us, what really matters is ‘member retention’.

Analysis indicates that ‘member retention’ has been ranging YoY between 86% to 92%. Our aim is to reach 100% and sustain it. Obviously, this excludes any member who has passed away. Apart from this, ‘Employee retention’ is 100%! This is no mean feat given the volatility in the job market. The aforementioned KPIs of Porosh are the two most vital indicators demonstrating its credibility.

As we say, numbers speak louder than words.

Know about seven lifestyle habits to reduce risk of dementia in people with diabetes?

In adults with Type 2 diabetes, a combination of seven healthy lifestyle habits, including sleeping seven to nine hours per day, exercising regularly, and having frequent social interaction, was related with a decreased risk of dementia.

The findings of the study were published in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

“Type 2 diabetes is a worldwide epidemic that affects one in 10 adults, and having diabetes is known to increase a person’s risk of developing dementia,” said study author Yingli Lu, MD, PhD, of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China. “We investigated whether a broad combination of healthy lifestyle habits could offset that dementia risk and found that people with diabetes who incorporated seven healthy lifestyle habits into their lives had a lower risk of dementia than people with diabetes who did not lead healthy lives.”

For the study, researchers looked at a health care database in the United Kingdom and identified 167,946 people 60 or older with and without diabetes who did not have dementia at the start of the study. Participants completed health questionnaires, provided physical measurements and gave blood samples.

For each participant, researchers calculated a healthy lifestyle score of zero to seven, with one point for each of seven healthy habits. Habits included:

a) no current smoking,

b) moderate alcohol consumption of up to one drink a day for women and up to two a day for men,

c) regular weekly physical activity of at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise,

d) seven to nine hours of sleep daily.

e) a healthy diet including more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish and fewer refined grains, processed and unprocessed meats.

f) being less sedentary, which was defined as watching television less than four hours a day, and

g) frequent social contact, which was defined as living with others, gathering with friends or family at least once a month and participating in social activities at least once a week or more often.

Researchers followed participants for an average of 12 years. During that time, 4,351 people developed dementia. A total of 4% of the people followed only zero to two of the healthy habits, 11% followed three, 22% followed four, 30% followed five, 24% followed six and 9% followed all seven.

People with diabetes who followed two or fewer of the seven healthy habits were four times more likely to develop dementia than people without diabetes who followed all seven healthy habits. People with diabetes who followed all of the habits were 74% more likely to develop dementia than those without diabetes who followed all the habits.

For people with diabetes who followed all the habits, there were 21 cases of dementia for 7,474 person years or 0.28%. Person-years represent both the number of people in the study and the amount of time each person spends in the study. For people with diabetes who followed only two or fewer habits, there were 72 cases of dementia for 10,380 person years or 0.69%. After adjusting for factors like age, education and ethnicity, people who followed all the habits had a 54% lower risk of dementia than those who followed two or fewer. Each additional healthy habit people followed was associated with an 11% decreased risk of dementia. The association between healthy lifestyle score and dementia risk was not affected by medications people took or how well they controlled their blood sugar.

“Our research shows that for people with Type 2 diabetes, the risk of dementia may be greatly reduced by living a healthier lifestyle,” Lu said. “Doctors and other medical professionals who treat people with diabetes should consider recommending lifestyle changes to their patients. Such changes may not only improve overall health, but also contribute to prevention or delayed onset of dementia in people with diabetes.”

A limitation of the study was that people reported on their lifestyle habits and may not have remembered all details accurately. Lifestyle changes over time were also not captured.

Source: https://theprint.in/features/know-about-seven-lifestyle-habits-to-reduce-risk-of-dementia-in-people-with-diabetes/1129058/