Dementia: WHO Prevention Guidelines Stress Physical Activity

By Kelly Young

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

New guidelines from the World Health Organization strongly support recommending physical activity to reduce the risk for cognitive decline in older adults. For those with mild cognitive impairment, exercise may still be recommended.

Among the group's other recommendations:

• Promote tobacco cessation, reduce harmful drinking, and help patients lose excess weight in midlife.

• Encourage a healthy diet. A Mediterranean-style diet may be offered to reduce dementia risk.

• Vitamins B and E, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and multivitamins aren't recommended for risk reduction.

• Cognitive training may be offered in older adults with normal cognition or mild impairment, but the quality of evidence supporting this recommendation is low.

• There was not enough evidence on whether social activity reduces dementia risk, but social participation and support are important throughout life.

• Patients with hypertension, diabetes, and depression should be managed according to existing guidelines, but it's not clear whether doing so will specifically lower dementia risk.