James' World 2

Click the link below the picture

.

Dementia and brain disorders are getting a lot of attention these days. And for good reason. About 1 in 10 Americans over 65 have dementia. And it’s estimated that the number of people 65 and older living with some form of dementia—the loss of cognitive functioning and the ability to think, remember or reason—could double to 88 million by 2050. 

It’s important to understand that the changes in the brain that lead to dementia begin decades before symptoms show up. And there are many things you can do to help prevent dementia.

Related: The #1 Activity to Limit to Reduce Your Risk of Dementia, According to Dietitians

For example, the MIND diet, a fusion of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, is loaded with foods to help keep your brain young and sharp. And there is evidence that regular physical activity helps reduce your risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia. Not getting enough quality sleep can also increase your risk of dementia.

All of these habits also influence factors that can raise dementia risk, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

But there’s another factor that increases the risk of dementia that might surprise you—loneliness. A new meta-analysis led by researchers at Florida State University College of Medicine and published on October 9 in Nature Mental Health takes a closer look at this connection. Here’s what they found.

How Was This Study Conducted & What Did It Find?

This study was a meta-analysis, which reviews studies previously done on the topic of loneliness and dementia. The researchers looked for certain criteria, so not all studies on loneliness and dementia were included. In this case, they examined ongoing, long-term studies on aging that assess loneliness and cognition over time, as well as previously published studies.

The studies that made the cut for this meta-analysis focused on the association between loneliness and all-cause dementia, as well as the risk for two specific types of dementia—Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. They also examined the association between loneliness and cognitive impairment that’s not dementia or non-specific impairments in one or more cognitive functions—thinking, memory, and reasoning—that may precede dementia.

According to the researchers, this resulted in the largest meta-analysis on the association between loneliness and dementia that’s been done to date. In the end, 21 studies were included, adding up to over 600,000 participants.

.

Getty Images. EatingWell design.

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________