25 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Dementia

New science, new hope.

- Lisa Bendall

WHEN MARIO GREGORIO was diagnosed with dementia in 2008, he immediately had a dark thought: this is the end. “But then I decided to look at what I could do,” says the 71-year-old retired data analyst, who lives in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver. “I thought, maybe I can prevent it from progressing.” His hunch was right.

In 2017, The Lancet published a lengthy report by two-dozen international experts who examined the evidence to date. That study concluded that 35 percent of dementia risk is within our control. Lifestyle changes, the authors suggested, can slow down the disease or forestall it altogether.

After Gregorio did his own research, he switched to a mostly plant-based diet, became an avid swimmer and got more involved in community activities. “My gerontologist told me I’m doing all the right things,” he says. In fact, Gregorio feels healthier now than when he received his diagnosis. His blood sugar has improved, he has fewer falls and he no longer walks with the cane he’d been using for several years.

There are over a dozen types of dementia; many Canadians have more than one type. In fact, the condition has a higher impact on our healthcare system than both cancer and heart disease. Due to our aging population, over the next 15 years the cost of dementia to our economy will surpass $16.6 billion, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. “The number of people living with dementia is only going to grow,” says Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Toronto’s Sinai Health System and University Health Network.