Dementia
Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 38, Issue 5.
Up to two-thirds of people in England with dementia are never diagnosed, as they do not recognize the symptoms. Elderly people suffering from memory loss need to act more quickly in seeking medical advice, says The Alzheimer's Society.
It is estimated by 2025 more than 1 million people in the country will have dementia. The Department of Health is backing the Alzheimer's Society campaign to raise public awareness of symptoms and the importance of an early diagnosis.
There are more than 100 different types. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type, affecting 62 per cent of those diagnosed. Others include vascular dementia and mixed dementia. For those who do report their symptoms to the GP,it takes an average of nearly three years for a diagnosis from first noticing symptoms, the Alzheimer's Society said.
Neil Hunt, its chief executive, said: “There is an acute lack of awareness and understanding of dementia. By encouraging people who are worried about their memory problems to seek medical advice sooner than they might have done, we hope more people with dementia can get care early on, giving them a greater chance to live life as well and as fully as possible”.
He added that people could reduce their risk of dementia by cutting down on salt, eating lots of fruit and vegetables, keeping active and watching their weight.
The Alzheimer's Society is giving GPs in England posters and leaflets to raise awareness about the issue and a toolkit to support diagnosis. A recent study by the National Audit Office found only 30 per cent of GPs feel that they have enough basic information and training to diagnose and manage the disease.
Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said it could be hard to diagnose dementia but patients would be encouraged to visit their GP if they had concerns.
Around 700,000 Britons currently suffer from dementia, with most victims afflicted by Alzheimer's disease.
A new study shows that a diet high in omega 3, found in fish and some oils,can reduce the chance of developing Alzheimer's by around 60 per cent.
Even eating oily fish once a week can cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's by a third, while eating fruit and vegetables every day reduces the chances of getting dementia in old age by almost 30 per cent, says the study, published in the Journal of Neurology.
Omega 3 oils are thought to be beneficial because the outer membranes of nerve cells are largely made up of them.
Previous population studies have suggested that a diet rich in fatty fish such as tuna, mackerel and herring is beneficial in older people at risk of dementia, but not all studies have found the same beneficial effects.
The new research followed 8,085 people over 65 for at least four years. At the start of the study, in France, the researchers examined the participants;residents of Montpelier, Dijon and Bordeaux; for signs of dementia and asked them to fill in a questionnaire about their eating habits. The psychiatric examination was repeated every two years. By the end of the study 281 of the subjects had developed signs of dementia, including 183 cases of Alzheimer's.
The team drew three main conclusions. First, omega 3 oils, which most of the participants got through salad dressing, were associated with a 60 per cent drop in dementia risk. The team also found a 30 per cent drop in dementia risk among regular fruit and vegetable eaters. Lastly, they found that regular fish consumption reduced the risk of Alzheimer's by 35 per cent, but only if subjects did not have a known genetic risk factor for the disease.
