SUCCESSFUL AGING MUST INCLUDE BRAIN HEALTH

Dear Readers,

We often hear that the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is soaring and that it’s expected to get worse in the coming decades. Why?   Public health advancements and medical advancements now allow us to “successfully age”, or in other words, to live long enough lives to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and this is happening in very large cohorts, like the Baby Boomers.

Most developed countries around the world are experiencing this pattern, and a world-wide effort has begun to better understand what causes dementia and to develop strategies to fight it.  In 2013 when the G8 nations met, they formed a group called the World Dementia Council (WDC), a compliment to the World Health Organization.

One of the priorities of the WDC is to reduce the risk of dementia through lifestyle and other approaches.  Another priority of the WDC is to foster a culture of open science and collaborative global research. As a neurologist, I agree with these priorities.

As a first order of business, the WDC reported in 2015 a review of the world-wide literature on modifiable risk factors for dementia.  And research is occurring around the world to strengthen the evidence and inform us on what we can do to protect ourselves against neurodegeneration.  Next week I will discuss what the research tells us about the two modifiable factors most to blame for Alzheimer’s world-wide and in the U.S. and tell you about one important way you can decrease your risk.