15 lifestyle risk factors for young-onset dementia revealed

Health

By Alex Mitchell

Researchers have identified 15 lifestyle and health risk factors for a rare type of dementia that affects people younger than 65.

Some 370,000 people develop young-onset dementia around the world each year, and now researchers from the University of Exeter in England and Maastricht University in the Netherlands say targeting these health and lifestyle traits may help prevent, identify, and treat the neurodegenerative condition.

Alcohol abuse, vitamin D deficiency, stroke, hearing impairment, heart disease, and high concentrations of C-reactive proteins, which signify inflammation in the body, were determined to be some of the major contributors to young-onset dementia after researchers observed 356,000 people in the UK over several years.

Their findings were published Tuesday in JAMA Neurology.

Social isolation and depression were also listed as major factors, along with less formal education and lower socioeconomic status.

“In addition to physical factors, mental health also plays an important role, including avoiding chronic stress, loneliness and depression,” researcher Sebastian Köhler said in a statement.

Lead study author Dr. Stevie Hendriks, a postdoctoral researcher in psychiatry and neuropsychology at Maastricht University, said the cause of young-onset dementia “is often assumed to be genetic, but for many people we don’t actually know exactly what the cause is.”

She noted that most stricken with the condition “still have a job, children, and a busy life.”

Hendriks gave CNN some recommendations to break some of these risky lifestyle habits.

“Be curious: learn new things, spend time on a hobby, stay engaged and socially active by visiting friends and families or going to social gatherings,” Hendriks said.

“Exercise regularly: keep moving, all levels of exercise work, from walking to vigorous exercise, find something that works for you,” she continued.

Fellow researcher Dr. Janice Ranson is optimistic that this research could “herald a new era in interventions to reduce new cases of this condition.”

Experts around the world have warned for years that COVID-19 has had detrimental psychological effects.

Declared the “loneliness epidemic” of modern times, current research finds extended isolation to be as bad for one’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes.

Young-onset dementia can be difficult to spot, as the tell-tale symptom of memory loss does not commonly present itself at first, according to the UK-based Alzheimer’s Society.

Instead, be on the lookout for problems with balance, movement, and coordination.