Dementia Rates in Sharp Decline: Study

Recent studies say that the rate of dimentia has significantly decreased.

There is new hope for those who are worried about dementia.

Recent discoveries published on the medical journal, The Lancet, reveal that dementia rates among people older than 65 is dropping, according to The New York Times. Alzheimer researchers are excited about the possibility that every successive generation will not face the same risk of dementia as commonly believed from previous studies.

Numbers from the study show that dementia rates in England and Wales have dropped from 8.3 percent to 6.2 percent. In another recent finding in Denmark, the number of people in their 90's who scored in the highest level of mental ability doubled in 2010 from 1998.

Lowered dementia rates may be contributed to an increasing number of people who are better educated about their health. Since the risk of dementia is heightened in those who have suffered strokes and other vascular damage, people who control their blood pressure and cholesterol may have lower risks of mental deterioration, according to the Times.

Another study suggests that later retirement may also help prevent Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, according to NBC News. Working can reduce the risk of dementia by 3.2 percent every year, according to a French INSERM scientist who spoke to NBC News.

There are still, however, no studies that can reveal possible preventative measures for the brain disorder.
 

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