New steps forward thanks to research to fight against dementia, an important neurodegenerative disease that compromises memory, thinking and reasoning and for which there is no definitive cure. A study carried out by the University of Oxford has highlighted three risk factors which would contribute to the development of the disease: diabetesair pollution and the alcohol consumption.
The search results
To reach these conclusions, the researchers examined brain scans of almost 40 thousand adults between 44 and 82 years held in the UK Biobank and published on Nature Communications. Over 161 genetic risk factors that may affect cancer have been studied areas more fragile of the brain which, in addition to those already mentioned, also include cholesterolsmoking, blood pressure, inflammation, diet, physical activity and many others. “A diagnosis of diabetes, the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air, and how often someone drinks alcohol – from never to daily, or almost every day – were found to be the three most harmful risk factors for these brain regions.”he declared to the Washington Post Gwenaëlle Douaudassociate professor at the University of Oxford and co-author of the study.
What happens to the brain
The brain areas most vulnerable to changes develop and grow when facing adolescence: in that phase the brain builds “pieces of information through different modalities, through different senses”, the researcher underlined. The problem is that as you get older, this information tends to disappear. For this reason, scholars have turned to those specific areas to understand the mechanisms that can be modified and intervened in time, with new treatments and therapies, in the next future. “Diabetes, air pollution and alcohol consumption each have a double effect compared to other main risk factors”Douaud said.
Other risk factors for dementia
Setting these three aside, they play a decisive role in what is possible development of dementia including how and how much you sleep, body weight, smoking and blood pressure. Researchers have identified seven genetic clusters that affect vulnerable areas of the brain, some of which are also associated with diseases such as Parkinson and Alzheimer’s. Regardless genetic factorseveryone can do something for prevent this pathology and maintain a good level of cognitive health “following a healthy and varied diet to help reduce blood sugar, taking measures to protect yourself from traffic pollution and drinking alcohol in moderation. Social and physical activity is also fundamental as it promotes rapid brain stimulation to protect cognitive health“, declared Prof. Gill Livingston, professor of psychogeriatrics at University College London who had already explained in the past that 40% of cases of dementia can be prevented with correct lifestyles.
Projections for the future
The numbers from the World Health Organization, however, do not allow one to sleep peacefully: currently the global estimate of dementia cases is 55 millionwhich are destined to increase, reaching the number of 150 million cases in 2050. According to the National Institute on Aging, dementia causes the loss of cognitive function the loss of the connection between brain neurons and other brain cells.
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