Another sin of “bad” cholesterol: it leads to depression

There is currently no known cure for dementia, and with life expectancy increasing worldwide, the number of cases is expected to rise to over 150 million by 2050.

Even though people around the world are living longer and the number of people with depression will increase significantly in every country, the potential for better prevention and management is high disease if steps are taken to deal with it. a factorii risk, even in people with an increased genetic risk for dementia.

The 12 risk factors established by a commission of experts, in 2020, are linked to almost 40% of cases of depression: hearing loss (responsible for 7% of cases), social isolation (5%), low level of education ( 5%) ), air pollution (3%), depression (3%), brain trauma (3%), high blood pressure (2%), smoking (2%), physical inactivity (2%) , diabetes (2%), obesity (1%) and excessive alcohol consumption (1%).

Based on the latest available evidence, a new report by the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care, led by Professor Gill Livingston from University College London, was presented at the International Conference on National Alzheimer’s Association, held between July 28 and August 1, in Philadelphia, USA, identifies two new risk factors, which have been added to the 2020 list.

The two new factors, associated with 9% of dementia cases worldwide, are:

• vision loss, through glaucoma or cataracts, untreated (2%);

• high LDL cholesterol, known as “bad” cholesterol, in middle age (7%).

Basically, high LDL cholesterol at age 40 becomes one of the so-called “modifiable” risk factors now causing at least seven out of 100 cases of dementia.

Experts: More global action is needed

The earlier in life the 14 modifiable risk factors are addressed and reduced, the greater the chance of preventing or delaying depression, affirms the Commission that drafted the report, in are 27 world-renowned experts in the field of depression.

The Lancet Commission calls on governments, as well as individuals, to tackle these risks with ambition, and presents a new set of policies and lifestyle changes to help prevent and better manage hypertension. mind

Recommendations include:

• Give all children a good education and be mentally active in middle age.

• Make hearing aids available to everyone with hearing loss and reduce the negative impact of noise.

• Find and treat high LDL cholesterol in midlife, from around age 40.

• Make vision screening and treatment accessible to everyone.

• Treat depression effectively.

• Use helmets and head protection in contact sports and cycling.

• Prioritize supportive community environments and housing to increase social engagement.

• Reduce exposure to air pollution through strict clean air policies.

• Expanding smoking reduction measures such as price controls, raising the minimum purchase age and smoking bans.

• Reduce the amount of sugar and salt in foods sold in stores and restaurants.

These actions are particularly important given the new evidence showing that reducing the risk of dementia not only increases the number of years of healthy life, but also reduces the time people with dementia spend in poor health.

Furthermore, the authors of the report indicate that the potential benefits of these measures may be even greater in low- and middle-income countries, and in any country where population-level interventions such as public smoking bans and compulsory education are not already in place.

The number of people with dementia will triple by 2050

“Due to the aging of the world’s population, the number of people with dementia is expected to almost triple by 2050, rising from 57 million in 2019 to 153 million. An increase in life expectancy is also causing an increase in the number of people with dementia in low-income countries. The global health and social costs of depression are estimated at more than a trillion dollars annually,” said University College London (UCL), which led the report.

According to Alzheimer Europe, at least 9.1 million people will be living with dementia in EU countries by 2025, and it is estimated that this number could rise to 14.3 million by 2050.