Nearly half of all cases of dementia may be linked to a dozen modifiable risk factors, most notably high blood pressure, obesity and physical inactivity, according to new research.. The findings suggest that most cases of dementia could be prevented, Daily MedNews reports on its pages..

“There are things people can do to increase or decrease their individual risk of developing dementia,” said Mark Lee, Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis.. He led the study presented on Friday at the American Heart Association conference on epidemiology and prevention, lifestyle and cardiometabolic health, Pannochka reports.. net As the population ages, the number of cases of dementia is increasing worldwide. About 5.8 million American adults are currently living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. That number is expected to reach 14 million by 2060, with blacks and Hispanics seeing the biggest increase.. Social determinants of health, such as lower levels of education, higher levels of poverty, and greater exposure to discrimination, also play a role..

Previous research has identified 12 modifiable risk factors believed to be responsible for approximately 40% of dementia cases worldwide.. The Lancet Commission's 2020 report lists factors such as low education, hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, high blood pressure, excessive drinking, obesity, smoking, depression, social isolation, lack of the recommended amount of physical activity, diabetes, and pollution.

In the new study, the researchers wanted to know if certain risk factors have a greater impact on dementia rates than others.. They collected data from the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Survey and five other datasets.. Overall, 42.4% of dementia cases in the US were attributable to these 12 factors, with three heart-related factors accounting for the bulk of this risk across races.. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, accounted for 6.7% of these cases, obesity 7%, and physical inactivity 6.7%.

The preliminary findings, Li said, point to the need for more effective strategies to reduce heart-related risk factors, which in turn will reduce the risk of dementia on a population-wide basis..

“Part of this can be done through lifestyle changes combined with medication as needed.. Maintaining a cognitively and physically active lifestyle and controlling risk factor levels pharmacologically when appropriate throughout life is critical for brain health later in life and is likely to influence many of the risk factors examined in this study,” Priya says..

Experts say the next step is to determine which interventions are most effective in reducing each of the 12 modifiable risk factors for dementia..

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