Researchers have discovered 2 new dementia risk factors. Here’s what they are.

The world of dementia research has progressed even a few years ago. There is now a blood test that can accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s 90% of the time, and more is understood about the factors (many of which are lifestyle habits) that can put you at higher risk for the condition.

In a new dementia report published in The Lancet journal by Lancet Commission researchers, two new modifiable risk factors have been identified: high cholesterol after 40 and untreated vision loss.

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In 2020, these same researchers determined 12 modifiable risk factors known to put people at higher risk of developing dementia. These are:

3. Excessive alcohol consumption

6. Rare social contact

According to the report, these 12 factors, including two new ones, account for 49% of dementia cases worldwide. The researchers determined these two new risk factors by looking at recent meta-analyses and studies on the subjects; They looked at 14 papers on vision loss and 27 papers on high cholesterol.

“It makes a lot of mechanistic sense,” says behavioral neurologist and neuropsychiatrist Dr. Arman Fesharaki-Zadeh said. “A lot of these factors are very much interrelated.” (Not affiliated with the Fesharaki-Zadeh report.)

“Of course there are many sources of vision loss, but it is more common in people with metabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure, such as poorly controlled diabetes, such as high cholesterol, which is another risk factor. [identified in the report]” he said.

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Furthermore, vision is our primary sensory organ — how we process the world around us — and when you can’t see clearly, you’re less likely to spend time on brain-boosting activities like puzzles, reading or spending time with other people, Fesharaki-Zadeh said. And these activities are known to help prevent dementia.

When it comes to high LDL cholesterol (the so-called bad cholesterol), it can harden blood vessels in the heart and brain, Fesharaki-Zadeh said, adding that high blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetes also affect blood vessels.

This can make it more difficult for oxygen to get to the brain, which can damage neurons over time — “and dementia is essentially a product of neurons dying, so it’s a neurodegenerative process,” Fesharaki-Zadeh explained.

“I can’t tell you that in our patient population, especially people over the age of 60, there are certain areas of the brain that are more vulnerable to damage … and these are the areas that are particularly vulnerable to hardening of the blood vessels. Someone … has high cholesterol, the correlation between this and hardening of the blood vessels is very high, and we see very high blood vessels. Also.”

“A saying I like to use with patients is that what affects your heart affects your brain, and we see that time and time again,” the doctor said.

You can reduce your risk. First, there is a good medical team and primary care doctor.

“I cannot highlight the importance of a collaborative model between primary care physicians and specialties,” Fesharaki-Zadeh said. Having a primary care doctor who understands your health and is willing to share relevant information with specialists, such as cardiologists and neurologists, will help you stay on top of any issues that may put your well-being at stake.

Your primary care doctor should also be actively working to help you control risk factors — such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure — whether it’s through medication, diet or exercise.

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Fesharaki-Zadeh says you and your doctor should focus on these lifestyle changes as early as possible, at least in midlife, not when you start to develop dementia.

“The front lines of medical care are primary care physicians. These are the people who can go a long way in preventing the onset of dementia … by having an early discussion,” he explained.

There are also tests that can detect early signs of neurodegeneration and genetic markers of the disease. A primary care doctor can help you learn about these options.

“Up to 40% of dementias are potentially preventable,” he added, but it’s worth noting that dementia can also be genetic, making prevention difficult. But anyone diagnosed with dementia or mild cognitive impairment may also benefit from managing these risk factors.

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“Research has also shown that if you have two groups of people, with comorbid metabolic diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, one against the other, and both of these people have dementia, the rate of progression of dementia is slower than that of people without metabolic risk factors,” Fehharade explained.

It’s never too late to change and improve, he notes, whether you’re a young, healthy-looking person, in your 80s or 90s, or someone who already has dementia.

Fesharaki-Zadeh said, ‘Our brains are very weak. So if you decide to make a healthy lifestyle change at any point, your brain will respond and be healthier for it.

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