The 17 ways to reduce your risk of dementia and depression

There are 17 ways you can reduce your risk of stroke, dementia and depression.

These risk factors become ever more important as we get older, say researchers at Mass General Brigham—and the great news is that you can reduce your risk for all three conditions when you modify even one of the risks.

The researchers trawled through previously published studies that had analysed cases of stroke, dementia or depression, and discovered there were 17 common risk factors that kept cropping up.  

The biggest risk factors were high blood pressure (hypertension) and severe kidney disease, and the best ways to reduce your risk for any of the conditions were to become active and do more leisure pursuits that involved problem-solving, such as puzzles.

Other risk factors included high blood sugar levels, excess alcohol consumption, poor diet, hearing loss, chronic pain, a sedentary lifestyle, lacking a purpose, poor sleep, smoking, stress, and little or no social engagement.

The three conditions are intertwined, and developing one substantially increases your chances of getting another, the researchers say.  But because stroke, dementia and depression are interlinked, improving any of the risk factors reduces your chances of developing any of them.

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