If you are lucky enough to survive Covid-19, as well as heart disease, cancer, and all the other slings and arrows that are directed your way by outrageous fortune, what a downer it would be to lose your mind to Alzheimer’s disease or one of the other forms of dementia. What can you do to avoid that fate?

Multiple factors are involved, some genetic and others environmental. At present, there is not much that you can do about the genetic factors. Every cell in your body contains the same genetic code, which could predispose you to one or another of the dementias that plague people as they get older. However, a predisposition is not a guarantee. You do have some control over the environment that you choose to live within, and that can make a big difference in whether a predisposition becomes an actuality.

In 2017, the medical journal named The Lancet published the findings of a Commission on environmental risk factors for dementia. Nine factors were identified. Recently, the Lancet Commission, in a comprehensive reevaluation of the field, updated the list and added three new modifiable environmental risk factors to the nine that had been identified in 2017. The conclusion of their research was that as much as 40% of the cases of dementia that they evaluated were due to environmental factors rather than just being a result of unlucky genetics. It is possible to reduce your risk of dementia by modifying the environmental factors that you experience.

The original nine factors that increase a person’s chance of becoming demented are:

• Less education
• Hypertension
• Hearing impairment
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Depression
• Physical inactivity
• Diabetes
• Infrequent social contact

The three newly identified risk factors are:

• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Head injury
• Air pollution

Governments can pass laws that are intended to mitigate the risks involved with these conditions, but can only go so far, without impinging on people’s freedom. In the USA, personal freedom is of critical importance to many American citizens. Americans don’t like to be told what to do, even when what they are being told is in their own best interest.

In the absence of government mandates on how to conduct one’s life, it is up to each person to take actions that will minimize the chance of falling into dementia. Each of the twelve risk factors can be addressed by taking specific actions. Here’s a suggested list of what to do:

• Get more education: Become a lifelong learner. There are more educational resources available to everyone who has an Internet connection today than were available to the wealthiest person in the world a generation ago. It is now possible to earn an online college degree from some of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning on the planet. Much online content is available for free, or at a very affordable price.
• Reduce hypertension (high blood pressure) either with readily available drugs or with lifestyle changes.
• Protect your ears from loud sounds. Hearing loss does more than isolate you from your surroundings. It can lead to dementia. If you are already suffering from hearing loss, a hearing aid can reduce the chance of dementia.
• If you are a smoker, quit. If you are not a smoker, don’t start.
• Avoid obesity. If you are already overweight, work to lose the excess poundage.
• If you are subject to depression, get treatment for it.
• Find some way to become physically active. My go-to activity is to jog around the neighborhood. Find what works for you and then do it, regularly.
• Avoid diabetes with diet and exercise. If that’s not possible, follow your doctor’s advice to keep the disease at bay.
• Social contact is important. Find an activity you can engage in with other people. During Covid time this could be virtual rather than in person.
• Limit consumption of alcohol.
• Avoid activities where head injuries are possible. Even with helmets, American football is not a sport I would recommend. Even international football is questionable for players who perform headers.
• Air pollution is not universal. It is concentrated in specific areas, such as some major cities or near heavily travelled highways. Move somewhere with fresher, cleaner air. This may require a career change, but I’d rather change careers than gradually lose my mind.

Many years ago, the NAACP had a slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” That is indeed true. You can preserve your own by being aware of environmental factors that can rob you of your intellect, and by actively taking action to improve your environment, and thereby improve your mind.

BIO:

Allen G. Taylor is a 40-year veteran of the computer industry and the author of over 40 books, including Develop Microsoft HoloLens Apps Now, Get Fit with Apple Watch, Cruise for Free, SQL For Dummies, 9th Edition, Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies, Database Development For Dummies, Access Power Programming with VBA, and SQL All-In-One For Dummies, Third Edition. He lectures internationally on astronomy, databases, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He also teaches database development and Crystal Reports through a leading online education provider. For the latest news on Allen’s activities, check out his blog at wwwallengtaylor.com or contact him at allen.taylor@ieee.org.