The second most common form of dementia can be prevented with seven simple rules of conduct.
What they are and how they keep the brain healthy.
Leipzig – Dementia is still not curable.
Once such a disease occurs, one can only try to positively influence the course with medication and other forms of therapy in order to delay a deterioration of the condition for as long as possible.
Most people think of Alzheimer's when they think of dementia.
This is also obvious, because Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia.
Exactly why you get them is not fully understood.
Genetic predisposition seems to play an important role here.
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Something can be done about dementia in old age.
An expert reveals what exactly.
© Oleksandr Latkun/Imago
The second most common form of dementia is caused by poor circulation
The second most common form of mental decline in old age is what is known as vascular dementia.
It is similar in symptoms to Alzheimer's disease.
However, the causes are different.
That is why you can do something yourself against vascular dementia.
With seven simple rules of conduct, vascular dementia can be avoided, explains Dorothee Saur, Deputy Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology at the University Hospital Leipzig, in an interview with Der
Spiegel
.
Because it is caused by circulatory disorders in the brain and is usually the result of a disease of the cerebral vessels.
Calcification of the cerebral vessels leads to many small strokes - dementia is the result
The reason for the lack of blood circulation is usually a large number of small strokes.
As in the other blood vessels in the body, for example the coronary arteries or in the extremities, arteriosclerosis also occurs in the cerebral vessels.
Here, too, pathological deposits form on the vessel walls, which can clog the vessels.
Vascular dementia differs in cause and symptoms from Alzheimer's - and is preventable
This leads to tiny circulatory disorders in the brain, a so-called microangiopathy.
The white matter of the brain, in which the nerve tracts run, changes as a result and the network in the brain is slowly destroyed.
Planned thinking and problem-solving become more and more difficult as the disease progresses.
In the case of Alzheimer's disease, on the other hand, certain pathological proteins are deposited in the brain, which is why the nerve cells slowly perish.
Therefore, memory disorders are also the central symptom here.
You don't just have to accept vascular dementia - an expert gives tips on how to prevent it
However, according to Saur, vascular dementia is not a normal symptom of aging that one has to accept.
According to studies, a lot can be done to keep the brain healthy and prevent vascular dementia from developing in the first place.
The brain health expert gives the following advice to people over the age of 50 if they want to avoid vascular dementia in old age:
regular exercise
healthy eating
Avoid being overweight
Keep blood pressure and blood sugar within the normal range
Adjust blood lipids well
do not smoke
get enough sleep
It is also important to keep the brain going even in old age and to ensure that it is sufficiently stimulated.
This can also protect against dementia.
According to the expert, anyone who remains mentally active and remains open to trying new things in old age builds up a “cognitive reserve”.
By playing a musical instrument or by traveling, new nerve cells and new connections between the synapses are formed again and again.
Staying active against dementia: A well-connected brain is more resilient to mental decline
A “well networked brain” in this way is said to be more resistant to harmful influences such as circulatory disorders.
According to Saur, it has now also been scientifically proven that the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease only become noticeable much later when there is a high level of cognitive reserve.
Studies have also shown that a Mediterranean-oriented diet can prevent dementia or alleviate its symptoms over a certain period of time.
However, it is still unclear what role fructose plays in the development of dementia.
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