The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 12 lifestyle conditions that fuel the advent of dementia. The list they came up with is the most definitive they have ever released to hopefully guide people on the choices that they make to avoid mental health decline as they age.
The new guidelines released were based on a decade of research, that identifies eating unhealthy foods, smoking and excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages are significant contributors to Dementias and Alzheimer's.
Unhealthy lifestyle choices can result in Medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. Not only it damages the body but it also affects the mind as well. The impact may not be immediate but with aging, memory loss is just around the corner.
Smoking is on top of the list of the risk factors to watch out for because it hastens the process of an individual to suffer from dementia. According to the report released by WHO, people who smoke are likely to suffer from dementia due to all the harmful chemicals that are breathed into the body. Although smokers have a higher risk to develop lung cancer, the threat of dementia creeps in unnoticeably until it is too late.
An unhealthy diet opens a lot of doors for illnesses to step in. One could develop diabetes from eating too much sugar or carbohydrates on a daily basis. Others develop obesity or the presence of bad fat in the body. Despite these very visual effects of an unhealthy diet; dementia and other mental diseases that are usually associated with aging can become a problem too. When you eat or drink anything excessive, that's when things get out of hand and your health issues become out of control.
There are more than a handful of health issues that come with an unhealthy diet and smoking. When these are fueled with regular intake of alcohol, one could only expect the risks level to go higher. The alcohol intake contributes to the unhealthy particles found in the body. When all these work together, they create a dangerous environment inside the body that keeps it from functioning as it should.
Will you suffer from dementia? Nobody can really tell, but your habits might just give you an idea of what to expect.
