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DEMENTIA FACTORS: Most people are unaware of all the lifestyle factors which can increase the risk of dementia, a survey has found. 

Just 2% of respondents to a survey commissioned by Public Health England (PHE) were able to correctly identify all the potentially changeable factors which can increase the risk of dementia.

These factors include and relate to alcohol consumption, smoking, high blood pressure, depression, diabetes and low exercise levels.

Dr Charles Alessi, senior dementia advisor at PHE, said: “Dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing.

“What’s good for the heart is good for the brain, and simple steps like giving up smoking, reducing alcohol intake, losing weight and taking regular exercise can reduce your risk of developing dementia in the future.

“In the absence of a cure for dementia, prevention is the best means we have to reduce its impact on the public.”

ADHD LINK:

Children born to mothers who are severely overweight have a higher chance of developing conditions such as ADHD, scientists have found.

Researchers said public health strategies to help women planning pregnancies reach and maintain a healthy weight could address the risk.

Recognising severe obesity as a risk factor could also lead to the development of prevention strategies, they said.

The results were produced by a team from the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Helsinki.

NOISE PRESSURE:

People living near noisy roads could have a bigger risk of high blood pressure, a new study suggests.

Researchers gathered information on 41,000 people from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Spain at the start of the study and again during a follow-up examination between five and nine years later.

None suffered high blood pressure when they joined the study, but during the follow-up period 15% had developed hypertension or started to take blood pressure-lowering medications.

They found that people living in noisy streets, where there were average night-time noise levels of 50 decibels, had a 6% increased risk of developing hypertension compared to those living on quieter streets. The study is published in the European Heart Journal.