Healthy lifestyle choices can help beat the effects of dementia in later life: Health officials

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Sunday 28 Feb 2016 - 17:35 Makkah mean time-19-5-1437 Wales, (IINA) - Making healthy lifestyle choices now can help beat the effects of dementia in later life, according to senior health officials. The Welsh government has released guidance urging people to undertake six simple steps believed to reduce the risk of developing the disease by up to 60 percent, Mail Online health news reported. It calls on the public to be more active, regularly check their health, avoid smoking, drink sensible amounts of alcohol, watch their weight and try new things to stay mentally alert. The initiative was launched after a new survey revealed that 48 percent of people believe nothing can be done to stave off the risk of developing the disease. But health chiefs say evidence shows that maintaining a healthier lifestyle can reduce the risk. Welsh Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford said: 'The risk of dementia increases with age and as more people are living longer, the number of people developing dementia will grow. 'You are never too young to take some simple steps to improve both your physical and mental health as you age and hopefully reduce your risk of dementia and other diseases.' The Welsh government is investing an extra £30million in mental health for elderly people, which will include new support for dementia. The new survey found that 76 percent of people in Wales are worried about developing dementia later in life, and 60 percent think if someone in their family has dementia, they will develop it too. In addition, half of respondents said they knew less about dementia than other serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease and strokes. It comes after another study suggested that teenagers who stay at school until at least the age of 18 are more likely to stave off the effects of dementia in later life. Keeping the brain active in middle age with crosswords and challenging reading can also reduce the risk of developing disease, according to scientists from the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota. However, this is only true for the 20 percent of Britons who carry the gene, known as APoE4, which increases the chances of Alzheimer's. For the rest of the population, education and lifelong learning appears to have little or no effect on whether an individual will develop the disease. SM/IINA