Various diseases – brought upon by external influences such as air pollution or genetics – can cause dementia. It is a medical condition characterized by a loss of the ability to remember, reason, or think. A person can even have a mix of dementias simultaneously.
Iron Clues
As many as half of the people with Parkinson’s Disease are also affected by dementia. Researchers from University College London linked the increased presence of protein to the increased presence of iron. This could be why so many people with Parkinson’s also have dementia as protein buildup is common in Parkinson’s patients.
Dr. Rimona Weil from UCL, Queen Square Institute of Neurology in the United Kingdom, and lead author of the study:
Iron in the brain is of growing interest to people researching neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and dementias. As you get older, iron accumulates in the brain, but it’s also linked to the buildup of harmful brain proteins, so we’re starting to find evidence that it could be useful in monitoring disease progression, and potentially even in diagnostics.
The research, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, found that measuring iron deposits in the brain made it possible to monitor the progression of dementia in people with Parkinson’s disease. This is different than the brain scans typically done, which focus on the loss of sections of the brain. Those can only detect changes late in the disease’s progression, but measuring iron can help identify it much sooner and more accurately.
The research involved testing patients (97 with Parkinson’s and 37 age-equivalent people without) on their thinking and memory skills, as well as their motor functions. Then they scanned their brain to measure the presence of iron and compared the levels to the test results. People with more iron in their brains performed worse in their memory, thinking, and motor functions. Which category they performed poorly on depended on where the iron buildup was in their brain.
Lifestyle Choices That Keep Dementia At Bay
Holding off dementia may be possible even for those with a genetic risk. It’s all about your lifestyle choices. Good lifestyle behaviors include cognitive stimulation, not smoking, regular exercise, and a brain-healthy diet. Adopting these habits resulted in a 60% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia in people participating in a 6-year study in Chicago. Another study in San Fransisco found that smokers doubled their risk of developing cognitive impairment compared to non-smokers.
Exercise is perfect for brain health. You can sharpen your memory and lower your risk of dementia by becoming physically fit. High-level endurance training is most beneficial, but moderate levels work too.
What To Eat
Fruit and vegetable contain many compounds that reduce the risk of disease – dementia included.
There is a compound found in fruit and vegetable peels called ursolic acid that reversed the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) in experiments with mice.
Consuming coconut oil releases ketones in the body, which have powerful benefits for the brain.
Eating over two servings of mushrooms per week reduces the risk of having mild cognitive impairment by 50%.
Wear Hearing Aids
A study found that hearing aid use improved 93% of the participants’ cognitive and executive functions after 18 months.
Protect Yourself From Air Pollution
When you inhale pollutants, the smallest particles – emitted by cars, power plants, and other places where fuel is burned – lodge in your lungs’ sensitive tissue or pass into your bloodstream. Once they’ve made their way into those places, they trigger an immune response that seeks to trap, contain, and remove the invading particles. Putting your body through this daily over long periods causes chronic inflammation that can harm the brain.
It may seem impossible to avoid dirty air. However, we can push for the implementation of laws enforcing high standards of air quality. You can also wear a protective face mask designed to filter out pollutants when you go outside. And, you can install IKEA’s air purifying curtains that clean indoor air using only light for when you’re home or in your office. Many indoor plants work wonderfully as air purifiers as well.
Here’s a short video we made relating to how exercise can help stave off age-related mental decline.
