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| Image Description: A yellow background with the following overlayed. Fact or fiction? There are actions you can take to lower the risk of developing dementia. Followed by an image of two buttons, one reads "fiction" the other reads "fact" and is clicked on. The below text reads "No action we take guarantees that we will not develop dementia, but taking care of your mental and physical health can help to lower the risk! |
A note on this weeks blog - all of the information we have provided is well-researched and in line with the primary concensus of the scientific community. However, everyone is different and there is a lot more research to be done, if you are concerned about a family history of dementia check in with your family doctor.
Myth 1. If my parent, grandparent, or sibling developed dementia then I will too.
Not necessarily! Like many traits and conditions, variations in genes play a role in whether someone will develop dementia. However, dementia is rarely directly inherited. Typically, other risk factors for dementia are often heritable and may be passed down. The role that genetics plays in the heritability of dementia varies depending on the type. Genetics is complicated and rarely follows the simple punnet square you may have learned in high school, and the genetics of dementia are no exception.
Early in the series, we discussed some of the different types of dementia. inncluding Alzheimer's, Frontotemporal, Lewy body, and vascular. Each type of dementia has a different heritability pattern and likelihood. In the case of Alzheimer's, if one identical twin has it the other develops it only about half of the time. This pattern indicates that there are certain genetic factors that may increase risk, but it is not directly heritable. The exception is familial early-onset Alzheimer's, which is caused by a mutation in three genes. Lewy body dementia has a similar heritability pattern, with siblings of those diagnosed being twice as likely to develop dementia themselves.
Vascular dementia is also typically not directly inhereited. This type of dementia is caused by damage to blood vesselss in the brain and often occurs after a stroke. So, the genetic risk factors for this type of dementia are similar to those associated with stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Some of the more rare types of dementia are passed down through a single gene mutation. In these cases, heritability is still not gauranteed, just as you are not guaranteed to have the same hair colour as your parent(s). In short, there are some heritable traits or genes that increase your risk of dementia, and others that if inherited are a guarantee of developing dementia. However, just because a close family member develops dementia does not necessarily mean that you will.
Myth 2. There are things you can do to lower your risk of dementia.
This one is true! Although no action we take is a guarantee that we will not develop dementia, current research indicates that there are some actions we can take to reduce the risk. There are some risk factors that we have no control over, there are others that are modifiable. Most protective measures boil down to protecting your phsyical and mental health, but we have summarized some of the actions that are most heavily backed by experts below:
1) Keep your brain engaged - Higher educational attainment is associated with a lower risk of dementia. There has also been research that suggests puzzles, reading, and learning new languages can help to slow the progression during early stages of dementia. Make use of that library card to borrow puzzles, books, or language learning materials!
2) Eat well - Maitaining a balanced diet that incorporates all food groups throughout life can significantly reduce your risk. Check out the cookbooks in the library if you're looking to try out some new recipes!
3) Maintain social ties - Keeping in contact with friends and family builds a positive support network. This can help with your mental health, and is another way to engage your brain! Poor mental health is associated with increased risks, and building a healthy support system is a great way to minimize that risk.
4) Limit smoking and alcohol consumption - Smoking is heavily tied to vascular dementia in particular, and heavy alcohol usage can increase your risk as well.
5) Practice self-care - This is another way to maintain good mental health or mediate the effects of poor mental health. Poor mental health is associated with an increased risk in demetia, so taking these actions can help future you and present you! Check out the library's mental health beanstack for more self-care ideas!
For more information
For more information on genetics and dementia visit: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers/causes-and-risk-factors/genetics
For more information on reducing your risk visit: https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/how-can-i-prevent-dementia/risk-factors-dementia
Sources Consulted
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/risk-factors-and-prevention/is-dementia-hereditary#1
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/risk-factors-and-prevention/genetics-of-dementia
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/dementia/is-dementia-hereditary/
https://www.alzint.org/resource/world-alzheimer-report-2014/