Alzheimer's rates 'could be halved'RSS Feed

Around half of all cases of the brain injury seen in Alzheimer's disease could be prevented through lifestyle changes, scientists have hypothesised.

A University of California San Francisco study found that factors including physical inactivity, depression, smoking, mid-life hypertension, mid-life obesity, low education and diabetes could be modified to reduce Alzheimer's rates by 51 per cent worldwide.

However, study leader Deborah Barnes said that the assumption that modifying these factors would impede Alzheimer's needs to be investigated.

"What's exciting is that this suggests that some very simple lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity and quitting smoking, could have a tremendous impact on preventing Alzheimer's and other dementias in the United States and worldwide," she said.

Meanwhile, research published online in journal Brain Pathology has revealed that traumatic brain injury could trigger Alzheimer's-like neurodegeneration, even in young adults.

Traumatic brain injury survivors were seen to still exhibit changes in their brains years after the incident occurred.

News brought to you by Serious Law specialists in brain injury

Posted by Paul Breen
 

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