How lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk

Encouraging lifestyle changes like walking 10,000 steps a day, reducing alcohol intake, improving sleep, and staying socially active can potentially prevent 40% of dementia cases worldwide.
Lifestyle changes offer hope in delaying or preventing dementia entirely. While our grasp of the biological mechanisms behind these risk factors varies, some are better understood than others. However, there's substantial knowledge available about these factors, and here's what you should know.
Cognitive reserve and neuroplasticity: Cognitive reserve reflects the brain's resilience against damage or neurodegenerative conditions. When one brain area suffers loss, other neurons step up to compensate. Lifelong experiences build a defence against brain damage from diseases and ageing. Neuroplasticity is the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt, learn, reorganise, and form new pathways or rewire existing ones to recover from injury.
The role of stress and inflammation: Stress responses and inflammation are the body’s complex answer to injury. Inflammation is an important component of the body’s immune system, helping defend against threats and repair tissue damage. While short-term inflammation is a natural and good response, chronic or prolonged inflammation disrupts normal function and causes damage to the brain’s cells.
Similar pathways across multiple diseases: Many risk factors for dementia share pathways with various chronic diseases. Extensive research suggests that "what's good for your heart is good for your head." Adopting these lifestyle changes not only lowers dementia risk but also decreases the chances of diabetes, hypertension, and heart issues.
It’s never too late: The human brain and body possess incredible adaptability and resilience at any stage of life. Although being active, both physically and socially, is beneficial at any age, research indicates greater rewards post-40. As metabolism slows and risks rise, nurturing cognitive reserve becomes crucial in safeguarding against cognitive decline.