You can reduce your risk of dementia. Here's how to get started

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2024-11-25 12:30:03

"You can substantially reduce your risk through the lifestyle choices you make," says Dr. Jonathan Rosand, a neurologist and Co-Founder of the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Rosand and his collaborators have developed a way to gauge and track brain health, with a 21 point scale, called the brain care score. The score helps people understand the importance of daily habits — such as sleep, diet and exercise. (You can calculate your score in about five minutes.)

About 40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors, according to a Lancet commission report. And even people who have genetic risk factors can benefit. A question Rosand is often asked is, "Doctor, what can I do so I don't get dementia like my father or brother or sister?"

Ruth Bernstein knows the anxiety. "We watched my grandma be robbed of her identity," from Alzheimer's, Bernstein says. And now the same thing is happening to her mom. "It's truly devastating," she says.