Dementia rates are falling dramatically for one gender
The “dementia time bomb” has been a hot topic in medical circles for the past few years. With the increase in life expectancy, there was some concern that dementia rates would rise in accordance with the ageing population, causing something of an epidemic of sufferers and putting increased strain on the medical system. A study out of the UK’s Newcastle University and published in April however has cast doubt as to the validity of the “time bomb”.
In 2013, two major studies in the UK actually observed a decline in dementia amongst the elderly over a 20-year time period. Researchers first interviewed 7,500 people aged over 65 in the early 1990s then repeated the same interview two years later. This was then repeated again with a similar sample group twenty years later and repeated again, two years on from that.
The data showed that the prevalence of dementia has decreased but it was difficult to know whether this was due to an actual fall in incidences of new cases or an overall decrease in survival of participants. To shed more light on the matter, the research team re-visited the interviewees and factored in the number of deaths that had occurred since the last research was carried out.
The study was then able to confirm that dementia rates have been falling by an average of around 20 per cent over a 20-year period. What surprised researchers more however, was that the reduction was primarily observed in men. In the 1990’s, for every 1000 mean aged 70-74, 12.9 per cent developed dementia within a year. Twenty years later and that figure had dropped to 8.7 per cent within an even more dramatic reduction for younger men aged 65-69. For women, the reduction in the dementia rate was less dramatic. Women aged 65-69 saw dementia cases drop from 6.3 per 1,000 women to 4.6 over 20 years. Meanwhile, the incidence rate went up slightly for women aged 80-84: from 35.6 per 1,000 during the 1990s to 39.6 in the later cohort.
Researchers haven’t identified exactly why the rates are falling but believe it is due in large part to increased awareness of healthy lifestyle factors like stopping smoking, improving diet and incorporating exercise into daily life for heart health. There is also no clear reason why women have fared less well than men in the reduction stakes. The current school of thought however is that it is due to women being far more likely to be caring for someone with dementia which in turn can have an impact on their own mental health.
The best advice researchers have for staying mentally (and physically) fit and well is to either make the modifications necessary to lead a healthy and active lifestyle or to keep doing what you’re doing if that’s already the case. What is good for your head is good for your heart and vice versa so regular exercise, a healthy whole foods diet and sensible alcohol intake is key.
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