Are you scared that you might be at high risk for developing dementia? Maybe you have family members with the disease and you’ve seen how awful and heartbreaking it can be. Maybe you feel like the cards are stacked against you and it is almost ‘inevitable.’

Well, it’s NOT!

As with almost all of our chronic illnesses that have genetic predispositions, lifestyle plays a very significant role in whether you actually develop the disease.

This article showed that, “the risk of dementia was 32% lower in people with a high genetic risk if they had followed a healthy lifestyle, compared to those who had an unhealthy lifestyle.“

That’s a pretty substantial reduction!

What’s a healthy lifestyle? Basically, don’t smoke, eat a healthy diet (avoid sugars, eat a lot of veggies), drink water, get moderate exercise and don’t drink too much alcohol. Not too hard, eh?

As previous posts have pointed out, if you do these things, then it’s less likely that you will end up taking all the other meds like antacids, sleeping pills, and others that further increase the risk of dementia.

Remember that “Matthew Principle?” We almost don’t have a choice in this matter. Because if we make small choices that increase our risks, those choices lead to bigger choices and consequences, and ultimately, a downward spiral until the risk of dementia IS inevitable.

But, if we make the small decisions in the right direction, we can gain momentum in a positive way and continuously reduce our risks.

It’s real. It’s serious. But it’s also hopeful.