Study identifies drinking, diabetes, smog as major dementia risk factors
March 27 (UPI) -- Alcohol intake, smog and diabetes are the three greatest risk factors for developing dementia that people can modify, according to a new study by Oxford University researchers.
The study, published by Nature Communications, reported that researchers examined 40,000 brain scans of adults between ages 44 and 82 on file at the U.K. Biobank database to examine genetic and environmental factors that lead to the development of dementia.
The researchers examined 161 risk factors, including blood pressure, smoking, alcohol use, diet and weight, and divided them among 15 categories.
Three risk factors for developing dementia stood out among all others: being diagnosed with diabetes, frequent alcohol intake and breathing smog-filled air that contains relatively high concentrations of nitrogen oxide.
"What makes this study special is that we examined the unique contribution of each modifiable risk factor by looking at all of them together to assess the resulting degeneration of this particular brain 'weak spot,'" study co-author Anderson Winkler, a professor at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and National Institutes of Health contributor, said in news release.
"We know that a constellation of brain regions degenerates earlier in aging, and in this new study we have shown that these specific parts of the brain are most vulnerable to diabetes, traffic-related air pollution ... and alcohol, of all the common risk factors for dementia," Gwenaelle Douaud, lead researcher and an Oxford research fellow, said in the release.
Douaud said smog is "increasingly a major player" in dementia and isn't necessarily controllable by individuals who must live and work in areas where smog commonly occurs. Choosing to live in locations where smog is infrequent or nonexistent and making lifestyle changes could prevent smog exposure.
Researchers also said the frequency with which someone drinks alcohol greatly affects the potential impact on dementia, with those who more frequently imbibe being more vulnerable to dementia.
Type 2 diabetes is another controllable factor researchers identified and said could be overcome through diet modification and exercise. People who are genetically disposed to Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease or cardiovascular disease or schizophrenia also are more vulnerable to dementia.
The researchers cautioned that the study is observational and only indicates a correlation between the risk factors identified and dementia. More research is needed to identify any causes and determine the best ways to counteract them, they said.
