14 ways within reach to prevent Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's is a treacherous disease. By the time symptoms appear, the brain has suffered the ravages of this type of dementia - the most widespread - for years without showing any signs of it. The main risk factor is age. The older we get, the more likely we are to suffer from some form of neurodegenerative disease. Despite ageing, there are many other causes that are within our control. In fact, there are up to 14, according to a report by 27 international experts published in The Lancet.

Almost all of them can be solved simply, some by living a healthy lifestyle - reducing consumption of processed meat lowers the chances of developing dementia by 14%. Other solutions include studying more, avoiding knocks to the head and wearing hearing aids. "Overall, almost half of all dementias could theoretically be prevented by eliminating these 14 risk factors," say the experts.

The more activity the brain has, the lower the risk of cognitive decline. This activity is often associated with educational gains. Research conducted among 20,000 adults in the United States found that increased years of education as a result of compulsory schooling were associated with better overall cognitive performance in later life.

Scientists have found a link between hearing loss - especially presbycusis (age-related hearing loss) - and mental decline. While it is not known exactly why, research suggests that a ten decibel reduction in hearing ability increases the risk of dementia by between four and 24 per cent. Specialists therefore stress the need to make hearing aids available to all people with hearing loss. Vision problems account for 2% of cases, especially when these problems are cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.

Excess weight, high blood pressure and high levels of LDL cholesterol are also closely related to neurodegenerative diseases. Obesity is linked to metabolic processes that favour the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain, protein plaques that prevent brain neurons from functioning normally. With regard to blood pressure, systolic blood pressure - the top reading in our blood pressure - should not exceed 13 (or 130 in the UK), especially for patients over the age of 40. High cholesterol is attributed to the development of 7% of dementia cases. Linked to these three factors are two more, diabetes and lack of exercise. High blood glucose levels increase the risk to the brain. Physical activity helps cognition by increasing neuroplasticity and reducing neuroinflammation.

Prolonged exposure to pollutants can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, increasing vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease. Tobacco is attributed to 2% of cases of neurodegenerative diseases.

Drinking alcohol is not recommended for health in general and for the brain in particular. Consuming more than eight grams per day - a glass of wine is about ten grams - is enough to increase the risk of this disease.

Lack of social contact is as detrimental to brain health as smoking, obesity or exposure to pollution. The relationship between depression and Alzheimer's is complex and can be both cause and effect. Around 40% of sufferers in Spain suffer from depression. Treating it helps to prevent dementia.

It has been proven that both football (and other contact sports such as boxing) increase the risk of dementia due to blows to the head. The remedy is to wear helmets and other protection.