April 2023 - Brain Health Hub

April 24, 2023

Can drinking tea prevent you from developing dementia?

1 min read

Posted by Joyce Siette
on April 24, 2023

Can drinking tea prevent you from developing dementia?

A recent large cohort study has found that the moderate consumption of tea can be protective against the development of dementia.

This study included over 377,000 individuals and found that tea drinkers were 16% less likely to develop this disease. We know that diet is a modifiable protective lifestyle factor against dementia, and with recent news highlighting the role of antioxidants found in tea and its anti-inflammatory properties in halting cognitive decline, it might be time to start thinking about drinking tea.

However, too much caffeine may be harmful by disrupting sleep and blocking anti-stress effects, thus these researchers recommend drinking 3 cups of tea a day to be an optimal and modifiable mid-life strategy to prevent the development of dementia.

“This recent study found that tea drinkers were 16% less likely to develop dementia.”

Dr Joyce Siette

Want to read the full article?

Follow the link below to read this study on Nature.com.

Joyce Siette

Got a question or comment about dementia?

Share in the comments below.

April 17, 2023

Are multidomain lifestyle interventions useful at preventing dementia?

1 min read

Posted by Joyce Siette
on April 17, 2023

Are multidomain lifestyle interventions useful at preventing dementia?

Recently, multidomain lifestyle interventions have been introduced to reduce the risk of dementia development. These interventions incorporate multiple physical and cognitive protective lifestyle factors such as social engagement and the management of chronic health conditions (including obesity, smoking and cardiovascular disease) in order to reduce neurological damage associated with dementia and increase cognitive reserve.

A recent paper reviewed randomized controlled trials (what researchers consider the gold standard) on the effects these multidomain lifestyle interventions have on dementia prevention. They found that in general, these practices can be effective in reducing dementia risk and increasing cognitive function, however, more large-scale high-quality studies are required in order to determine the effects of multidomain interventions.

This is good news for us, as these interventions are easy to implement into our own lives, and may help reduce the development of dementia.

“This is good news for us, as these interventions are easy to implement into our own lives.”

Dr Joyce Siette

Want to read the full article?

Follow the link below to read this study in the International Journal of Nursing Studies.

Joyce Siette

Got a question or comment about dementia?

Share in the comments below.

April 10, 2023

The challenges associated with clinical trials for the prevention of dementia

1 min read

Posted by Joyce Siette
on April 10, 2023

The challenges associated with clinical trials for the prevention of dementia

There have been many clinical trials designed by both the pharmaceutical industry and academics in an attempt to prevent the development of dementia. However, there are many challenges associated with these clinical trials.

The pharmaceutical industry focuses on developing drugs that can stop the buildup of amyloid B peptide in the brain, as this buildup is associated with cognitive impairment. However, most trials were not successful, and these trials also require participation from individuals with pre-clinical illness, which is difficult to discover. Academic trials tend to focus on interventions that target multiple modifiable environmental factors such as blood pressure, lifestyle factors, diet and weight.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to design trials long enough to be able to successfully modify the effects of these risk factors, making it difficult to show how effective these trials are. These challenges should therefore all be considered when designing further preventative trials.

“These challenges should therefore all be considered when designing further preventative trials.”

Dr Joyce Siette

Want to read the full article?

Follow the link below to read this study on Springer Link.

Joyce Siette

Got a question or comment about dementia?

Share in the comments below.

April 3, 2023

What should balanced dementia risk reduction look like?

2 min read

Posted by Joyce Siette
on April 3, 2023

What should balanced dementia risk reduction look like? A new expert research group recommend ‘whole-population-based approaches’

So far, dementia prevention policies around the world have largely focused on interventions that target individuals who are at high risk of the disease.

Through individual-level approaches, researchers can engage people who are likely to be impacted by dementia (such as) so that they can become educated about their risk and then take action to reduce it.

This approach is necessary and can also be a way for researchers to gain valuable information on dementia prevention with new evidence that emerges from these studies. However, it relies on ‘conscious behavioural change’ which often requires resources that aren’t available to everyone. This approach can even widen inequalities!

An international research group of experts (Walsh et al., 2022) recommend adopting population-based approaches, which aim to reduce everyone’s risk via ‘unconscious behavioural change’. This is done by making healthy lifestyles convenient and accessible to all.

Image: Walsh et al, 2022

But why is this so important for dementia prevention in particular?

Well, dementia prevalence is on the rise with over 55 million cases of dementia globally. This is the result of being exposed to risk factors (like smoking, air pollution, head trauma, and obesity) gradually and progressively over time as an individual develops from childhood, into adulthood, and through to their later years.

And this disproportionately affects low and middle-income countries too! With coordination across governments and industries, and new policies which support disadvantaged areas and populations, population-based approaches may reduce health inequalities globally and decrease the prevalence of dementia worldwide.

“Whole-population-based approaches affect the contexts and environments in which people live, work, and play.”

Walsh et al., 2022

What’s new? A new expert research group created in 2022...

In 2017, The International Research Network on Dementia Prevention (IRNDP) was established to link researchers together to foster new research across the globe for dementia prevention. In 2022, a new expert IRNDP research group has been established that focuses on resource-constrained contexts, aiming to address inequalities in dementia prevalence and prevention by balancing the global approach to dementia risk reduction.

Want to read the full article?

Follow the link below to read this study on the Lancet.

Joyce Siette

Got a question or comment about dementia?

Share in the comments below.