The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which affects roughly 850,000 people in the UK.
Symptoms of the condition include memory loss, problems with speech and language, and a changing personality.
According to the NHS, it is most common in people over the age of 65, and affects slightly more women than men.
The exact cause of Alzheimer’s remains unknown.
But factors thought to increase your risk include increasing age, a family history of the condition, previous severe head injuries, and lifestyle factors and conditions associated with cardiovascular disease like diabetes and high blood pressure.
However, there are preventive measures you can take to slow its onset.
Learn another language
A study by the University of Ghent found that becoming bilingual could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by four years.
The researchers discovered that the ability to speak more than one language could slow down cognitive ageing.
Drink juice
Consuming raw fruit and vegetable juices was found by a Vanderbilt University study to reduce risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 76 per cent.
Adding just three servings a week to your diet provided the benefits.
Run regularly
Jogging for at least 15 miles a week was found by research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease to reduce your risk by 40 per cent.
Running between 4.5 and 7.7 miles per week also provided a six per cent reduction.
Sleep more
Lack of sleep has been linked by research to a greater risk of Alzheimer’s.
A process that clears the brain of beta-amyloid – known to play a part in the condition – is more active when we’re asleep.
Daily Express :: Life and Style Feed
