Wed, Dec-27-23, 11:13
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Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Quote:
Depression and lack of vitamin D ‘raise risk of dementia’
Study finds that an increased chance of developing the disease before the age of 65 depends not just on genes but also on health and lifestyle factors
Health and lifestyle factors including vitamin D deficiency, depression and suffering a stroke increase the risk of early onset dementia, a study suggests.
Researchers found a wide range of risk factors for those suffering the symptoms of dementia before the age of 65, raising the prospect that prevention strategies can reduce the number of sufferers.
A large-scale study by teams in the UK and the Netherlands found that genes can significantly increase the risk of young-onset dementia, but so too can a range of lifestyle and environmental factors, including lower formal education and alcohol abuse.
More than 70,800 people in the UK have early-onset dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, equating to about 8 per cent of all dementia sufferers. The findings challenge the notion that genetics are the sole cause of the condition and pave the way for new prevention strategies.
Dr Janice Ranson, senior research fellow at the University of Exeter, said: “Our research breaks new ground in identifying that the risk of young-onset dementia can be reduced. We think this could herald a new era in interventions to reduce new cases of this condition.”
The study, published in the journal JAMA Neurology, was conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter and Maastricht University in the Netherlands. It involved following more than 350,000 people younger than 65 across the UK from the UK Biobank study.
The study found 15 risk factors, including hearing impairment, heart disease, social isolation and lower socioeconomic status.
David Llewellyn, a professor at the University of Exeter, said the research was the “largest and most robust study of its kind ever conducted” and involved big data analysis and international collaboration.
“Excitingly, for the first time it reveals that we may be able to take action to reduce risk of this debilitating condition, through targeting a range of different factors,” he said.
Llewellyn said there was still “much to learn in our ongoing mission to prevent, identify, and treat dementia in all its forms in a more targeted way”.
Dr Stevie Hendriks, a researcher at Maastricht University, said: “Young-onset dementia has a very serious impact, because the people affected usually still have a job, children and a busy life. The cause is often assumed to be genetic, but for many people we don’t actually know exactly what the cause is. This is why we also wanted to investigate other risk factors in this study.”
The study was co-funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK. Dr Leah Mursaleen, the charity’s head of clinical research, said: “We’re witnessing a transformation in understanding of dementia risk and, potentially, how to reduce it on both an individual and societal level.
“In recent years there’s been a growing consensus that dementia is linked to 12 specific modifiable risk factors such as smoking, blood pressure and hearing loss. It’s now accepted that up to four in ten dementia cases worldwide are linked to these factors.
“This pioneering study shines important and much-needed light on factors that can influence the risk of young-onset dementia. This starts to fill in an important gap in our knowledge. It will be important to build on these findings in broader studies.”
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https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...entia-s52ctc579
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