Many of us fear dementia, but the good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to reduce the risk of getting it.
Dementia expert and nutritionist Patrick Holford says, ‘Less than 1% of Alzheimer’s cases – which account for two-thirds of dementia diagnoses – are caused by genes. So, for most of us, the risk for dementia and age-related cognitive decline relates to things we can easily change.’
Patrick suggests first taking a Cognitive Function Test and questionnaire at foodforthebrain.org to calculate your future dementia risk, then look at simple life changes you can make. Here he shares 25 easy ways to reduce your risk – and you can implement them today.
Meet the expert
Patrick Holford is the founder of the leading leading charity raising awareness of the importance of nutrition for brain function foodforthebrain.org. His book Upgrade Your Brain is out now.
Boost your brain fat
Eat oily fish three times a week – ‘SMASH’ it. S for salmon, M for mackerel, A for anchovies, S for sardines and H for herrings or kippers. Any fish eggs (roe) are good too. Caviar has the highest known levels of omega-3 DHA, a fatty acid that supports brain function.
Supplement omega-3 fish oils. Aim for any omega-3 supplement that provides 500mg of omega-3 DHA. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of more than 100,000 people, showed that an increased intake of omega-3, either from diet or supplements, or having a higher omega-3 blood level, cuts the risk of dementia by a fifth. Vegans can supplement algal omega-3 DHA.
Eat an egg a day, or six eggs a week, preferably free range and organic. Boil, scramble or poach them, but limit frying. A study by the Rush Memory and Ageing Project found that eating two eggs a week could halve future risk of Alzheimer’s.
Eat a tablespoon of seeds and nuts every day. The best seeds are chia, flax, hemp and pumpkin (all higher in omega-3). The top nuts to eat are walnuts, pecans and macadamia, but all nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts and unsalted peanuts, are good.
Get your antioxidants
Eat lots of fresh fruit and veg. The more you eat, the better, though the benefits start to plateau at 500g a day (about five to six servings). Antioxidants prevent or delay cell damage and can be found in many foods including fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains. Carrots, cruciferous vegetables (eg broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower), mushrooms and citrus fruit are particularly good. Berries are protective against dementia too, especially blueberries and strawberries.
Drink tea. The link between drinking tea and reduction in risk of dementia has been confirmed recently in a study in Singapore, with green tea being marginally better than black tea. However, this benefit was not found in a UK Biobank study. My view is to drink tea, green over black, in preference to coffee.
Supplement vitamins C and E. Vitamin C is a water-based antioxidant. Vitamin E is a fat-based antioxidant, which protects the essential fats in the brain. A study of 4,740 elderly residents of Cache County, Utah, found that those supplementing both Vitamin E and C cut their risk of developing Alzheimer’s by two-thirds.
Improve your gut health
Eat plenty of soluble fibre. What we eat is a key determinant of the composition of our gut microbiome, also impacting the time it takes for food to pass through the gut, which is largely a function of the fibre content of our diet. The fibre also slows down the release of the sugars in food, which bacteria then use to nourish themselves and multiply. Best of all are the soluble fibres found in oats, chia and flax seeds as well as vegetables.
Eat prebiotic foods. Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, leeks, onions, asparagus, barley and oats are ‘prebiotic’ foods that feed and increase the number of healthy gut bacteria and are fibre rich.
Stay physically active
There's strong link between exercise and dementia, regular exercise has been proven to significantly lower your risk of the disease.
Build muscle. Of all the measures – your weight, body mass index, fat mass or muscle mass – it is your muscle mass, or how much muscle you have compared to fat, that best predicts both your brain volume and risk of cognitive decline in later years.
Be active for 20 minutes a day. Spend at least 20 minutes doing activities such as walking, gardening, light housework or repairing things – anything that gets you moving.
Step it up. Aim to increase your daily steps by a minimum of 10% a week, or a maximum of 20%. For example, if you start at 2,000 and add 200 steps per day each week, that’s great. You can use phone apps or wearable fitness technology to record your steps.
Exercise outdoors and supplement vitamin D. Cognitive decline is 19 times more likely if you have a low blood level of vitamin D. In the winter months, the best vitamin D supplements are those that contain at least 25 micrograms up to 75 micrograms. From spring onwards getting outdoors and exposing your skin to the sun helps boost vitamin D.
Improve balance. The brain works hard in exercise, especially if it involves complex movements and learning things, such as dancing, or doing different movements in a yoga or tai chi class. Even things like running or walking on uneven surfaces make a difference.
Keep your mind busy
Read, watch or listen to stimulating content. TV, podcasts and social media can be mind numbing or stimulating. A simple yardstick is to ask, ‘Am I learning anything? Am I using my mind?’ Complex whodunnit dramas might engage your mind in working out who did the deed, while reality TV may not.
Be social. Aim to spend two hours a week or a couple of days a week with other people in a social (not work) setting. Perhaps join a book club or some community activity that interests you.
Test your brain in the morning. Sudoko, the crossword or Wordle are great ways to wake up your brain. There are lots of apps designed to improve your mind. Two that have are good are Brain HQ and Lumosity.
Learn something new and challenging. Learning a new language, sport or musical instrument is particularly good. A fascinating study looked at the brains of musicians. While both professional and amateur musicians’ brains looked younger than those of non-musicians of the same age, the benefit was greatest in amateur musicians, suggesting that playing music was more of a cognitive stimulus for amateurs – it was harder, so they got more benefit.
Prioritise rest
Aim to follow a soothing bedtime routine, such as having a warm bath or listening to music. Ensure your bedroom is quiet and dark and you are comfortable. Turn off mobile phones at night. Also prioritise relaxing activities in the few hours before you go to bed.
Load up on B vitamins
Test your blood homocysteine level. This is an amino acid that can indicate your risk of certain health conditions and whether you lack vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid. A level above 10mcmol/l, which is extremely common in people over 60, is strongly associated with accelerated brain shrinkage and increases risk of Alzheimer’s. Homocysteine can be lowered by supplementing vitamins B6, B12 and folate. But the amounts needed are much higher if your homocysteine level is high. Try the pin-prick DRIfT test from foodforthebrain.org/tests.
Supplement vitamin B12. The best B12 supplements to take are those that contain 10micrograms of B12, which is what you’ll find in a good multivitamin. But if your homocysteine is raised you’ll need 500micrograms a day to lower it. It’s completely safe so there’s no harm in taking this much.
Eat a serving a day each of greens and either beans, lentils, nuts or seeds. These are all high in the B vitamin folate as well as vitamin B6. It is also worth supplementing; most decent multivitamins will give you 200-400micrograms.
Tweak your diet
Eat your fruit, don’t drink it. Stay away from fruit juices as they contain no fibre but lots of sugar. A glass of orange juice is three oranges worth of juice, but no fibre. Have you ever eaten three oranges? It’s difficult. Fibre fills you up.
Choose wholegrains and wholefoods, and limit your intake of bread, pasta and potatoes. If you eat more than 100-150g a day of grains or potatoes, which is one or two servings max, your risk for dementia goes up. Research indicates that high-fibre bread is the most beneficial carb food but white bread increases risk.
Eat three pieces of dark chocolate. The benefit peaks at 10g – or about three pieces. Dark, 70%+ cocoa and a low percentage of sugar is likely to be better, as a high intake of sugar is a strong indicator in cognitive decline. More recent studies show cocoa, a rich source of flavanols, is linked to improved cognition, probably by improving circulation.
Annabelle Lee is a Lifestyle Editor at Bauer Media. She specialises in health, wellness and lifestyle celebrity content.
Annabelle studied Journalism at The University of Sheffield and started her magazine career at Cosmopolitan in 2010. She has since worked across a wide range of women’s interest magazines and remains passionate about writing and long form features. Her favourite part of the job is that she gets to constantly learn new things, interview fascinating experts and share their advice with readers.