By Sharon Atieno Onyango
Healthier lifestyles, better management of chronic diseases and lower exposure to environmental hazards could help reduce the global toll of dementia which affects more than 57 million people worldwide. The condition affects memory, thinking and the ability to perform daily activities.
The updated World Health Organization (WHO) global guidelines aimed at reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, reveal that up to 45 per cent of cases may be preventable or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors throughout life.
The new guidance updates WHO’s 2019 recommendations and reflects the latest evidence on preventing cognitive decline across the life course. The organization recommends: regular physical activity, stopping tobacco use, reducing alcohol consumption and eating a healthy diet.
It also highlights the importance of cognitive training, social engagement and managing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
For the first time, WHO also recommends reducing exposure to air pollution as part of dementia prevention strategies. The use of hearing aids may also help lower dementia risk in some people.
However, WHO advises against taking vitamin B or E supplements, omega-3 fatty acids or multivitamins solely to prevent dementia unless a deficiency has been diagnosed, citing insufficient evidence that the supplements provide benefits that outweigh potential harms.
“We know more today than ever before about what drives dementia risk, and these guidelines translate that knowledge into action,” said WHO Director-General Tedros. “Countries now have clear, evidence-based recommendations they can put into practice immediately to protect people’s cognitive health.”
Recognizing the financial burdens on families and caregivers, estimated at around US$1.3 trillion annually and half of it being unpaid care, WHO says integrating dementia prevention into services for noncommunicable diseases, mental health and brain health could help reduce the global burden of the condition and enable more people to live longer, healthier and more independent lives.
