Simple dietary steps may help prevent dementia

By Dr. Terry Gaff

Although there are lots of things about my memory and ability to think that I would like to change, they all involve a desire to improve brain function. The reality is, at my age, my thinking is more likely to get worse rather than better. Therefore, I want to make every effort to keep what I have and add a few things here and there to help make up for inevitable losses.

I am especially concerned about the possibility of developing frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This problem causes an inability to spot sarcasm or to read negative emotions in others and being more gullible than other people according to a study published in the journal Brain. I am concerned that if I cannot identify sarcasm, my ability to understand what my wife is saying to me will be greatly decreased.

The number of people suffering from dementia is expected to double over the next 30 years. Therefore, I keep an eye out for things I can do to avoid being part of that statistic.

Some people have suggested that more education might help to prevent dementia because you start with more knowledge. Therefore, it will take more time for that knowledge and thinking ability to melt away. Unfortunately, in a study of 6,533 people with an average age of 72 at the beginning of testing, researchers found that education does not protect against decline in thinking. However, it does delay the presentation of dementia. Then, when dementia occurs, it takes the typical progressive course. In fact, greater education was associated with slightly less rapid decline early in follow-up, but with faster decline later.

Since we are what we eat, it would make some sense that diet and medicines might affect our thinking abilities. The problem is that even “the experts” do not know what the best choices are......read the whole article

For a great resource for those with dementia, caregivers and healthcare professinals, click here


For information on being the best caregiver you can be, click here


For more interesting dementia articles and activities, click here