Washington: Over half of all Alzheimer`s disease cases can be prevented through lifestyle changes and treatment or prevention of chronic medical conditions.
The biggest risk factors for Alzheimer`s disease are physical inactivity, depression, mid-life hypertension, low education, smoking, diabetes and mid-life obesity.
The findings are based on studies involving hundreds of thousands of participants worldwide, by Deborah Barnes, researcher at San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Centre and professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.
Together, these risk factors are associated with up to 51 percent of Alzheimer`s cases globally (17.2 million) and up to 54 percent cases in the US (2.9 million), according to Barnes, reports journal Lancet Neurology.
"This suggests that some very simple lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity and quitting smoking, could have a tremendous impact on preventing Alzheimer`s and other dementias in the US and worldwide," said Barnes, according to Medical Centre statement.
The study results were presented at the 2011 meeting of the Alzheimer`s Association International Conference in Paris, France.
Alzheimer`s disease is the most common form of dementia among older people. Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person`s ability to carry out daily activities.