{"id":154647,"date":"2023-03-12T03:16:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-12T10:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dherbs.com\/?p=154647"},"modified":"2023-03-08T17:55:09","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T00:55:09","slug":"7-lifestyle-habits-can-help-lower-dementia-risk-for-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dherbs.com\/articles\/7-lifestyle-habits-can-help-lower-dementia-risk-for-women\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Lifestyle Habits Can Help Lower Dementia Risk For Women"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s no secret that adopting healthy lifestyle<\/a> habits early on in life can help improve overall health. A new long-term study suggests that simple lifestyle changes in middle age may help reduce the risk of dementia<\/strong>. In the study, researchers followed 13,720 women for 20 years to analyze their risk of developing dementia. They examined Medicare claims at the end of the study to determine who received a diagnosis.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women in the study received a score for seven health factors. A \u201c0\u201d corresponded to \u201cpoor\u201d and a \u201c7\u201d corresponded to \u201cexcellent.\u201d According to the study results, the average score at the beginning was 4.3. After a 10-year follow-up, the score was 4.2. At the 20-year follow-up, 1,771 women had already been diagnosed with dementia<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers adjusted for several factors, including age and education, and found that for every increase of one point in overall score, the participant\u2019s risk of dementia decreased by 6%. It\u2019s important to note that one limitation of the study was that researchers did not receive information that allowed them to see changes in healthy habits. Such changes included quitting smoking<\/a>, being active, eating better, and maintaining a healthy weight, all of which influence the risk of dementia.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Dementia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning, including thinking, remembering, and reasoning. In the beginning, symptoms may be very minor and hard to notice, but the person becomes worse as the disease advances. In fact, dementia can interfere with a person\u2019s daily life and activities. Some dementia patients cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. In the more severe stages of the condition, the person typically depends on others for basic activities of daily living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dementia affects millions of people around the world, but it becomes more popular as people grow older. Roughly one-third of people age 85 or older may have some form of dementia, but this isn\u2019t a normal part of aging. Maybe people live well into their 90s without any signs of dementia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women And Dementia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to a 2021 report, women make up about two-thirds of the people living with dementia, including Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a>. Researchers note that one reason for the higher percentage of female dementia patients is because women live longer than men, and dementia tends to appear after age 80. Other possible reasons include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n