Oftentimes, with the number of things to do, people may forget a couple of errands. Some may even forget simple things like where they placed the car keys or even wondering what they were supposed to get from the kitchen. For most, this is perceived as normal.
However, an article in The Daily Mail reports of a new study that reveals that being forgetful shows symptoms of early stages of dementia. Mostly women who reported these problems are 70 percent most likely to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia a year later. These memory problems were noticeable but not important enough to show up in normal tests.
The team of researchers from the University of California said that other things were taken into account during this study, namely depression, education, stroke, high blood pressure, heart diseases and more.
The Alzheimer's Society commented on the study published in the Neurology journal and said that it could be better if we could give an insight as to who will likely develop the disease. However, when is forgetting just a part of life and when does it become alarming? Some experts examine if it is a post it situation or it's time to see a medical professional.
There are situations that can be symptoms of depression or lack of concentration or simply stress. But they can also be early signs of dementia or worst Alzheimer's. Dr. Anne Corbett of the Alzheimer's Society said that there is one type of Alzheimer's where the memory is not affected and only the part of the brain that is responsible for visual processing. Most families bring in loved ones because they can observe something is wrong like they forget people's names.
If you are getting scared reading this, don't be. Being forgetful does not really mean you'll eventually suffer from this scary disease. There is no foolproof way of preventing dementia, but you can do the following to lessen your risk:
1. Eat a high fibre, low fat diet
2. Exercise regularly
3. Do not drink alcohol excessively
4. Quit smoking
5. Maintain the ideal weight for your body type
Certainly, there are more benefits you can get from following these recommendations. Aside from lowering your risk of dementia, you are also paving the way to preventing heart attacks. Finally, if you are aware that you have memory problem, then most likely you will not have dementia.
