ORLANDO, Fla. — September 21st is world Alzheimer’s day. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia.
More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By the year 2050, that number is expected to grow to 13 million. With cases rapidly rising, do you know your risk for developing this devasting disease?
Every minute someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Predicting someone’s risk can be a tough task.
James Galvin, MD says, “if you look at all the things, we know that may be associated with the risk of developing dementia, the two strongest are age and family history, and I can’t change your age and I can’t change your genes.”
But what if there was a tool that can look at preventable risk factors to predict your risk? Researchers have come up with a calculator that can do just that. Using risk factors, such as education and smoking, the researchers were able to predict dementia risk for those 55 and older for the next five years.
“The idea is instead of waiting for disease to happen, let’s try to prevent it from happening first.” Galvin further explains.
These steps include eating a healthy diet, staying socially active, sleeping well and engaging in regular physical exercise. A university of Miami study found physical activity can slow brain aging by ten years.
According to Dr. Galvin, a third of dementia cases are preventable. To calculate your risk for dementia, go to https://www.projectbiglife.ca/.
