Preventing diabetes and depression could help beat dementia

Mon, 09 Aug 2010
New research has found that there may be a number of effective ways of combating dementia, especially through preventing diabetes and depression, increasing levels of education and dietary improvements. It recommended that early screening for diabetes and treatment of depression could be the best approach for reducing future levels of dementia.

With an estimated one million people expected to suffer from dementia in the UK by 2025, scientists are looking at what public health interventions could have the biggest impact on reducing the burden of dementia in the population.

The study, by the British Medical Journal, part of the growing evidence of the link between diabetes and Alzheimers disease, revealed that eliminating both diabetes and depression and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption could lead to an overall 21 per cent reduction in new cases of dementia, and that improving education could lead to an estimated 18 per cent reduction in new cases of dementia across the general population.

Clive Ballard, director of research at the Alzheimers Society, commented "Effective prevention of diabetes, depression and heart disease could potentially improve the lives of millions of people affected by this cruel condition and reduce the billions spent on dementia care each year."

Victoria King, head of research at Diabetes UK, said "Finding ways to stop the type 2 diabetes epidemic in its tracks can only be seen as a good thing – especially as this could prevent millions of people developing the serious complications of the condition, which include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation ."

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