The development of senile dementia can be significantly delayed if you take control of your health and habits in time. The head of the Center for the Treatment of Neuroses and Alzheimer's Disease, Zhibek Zholdasova, explained which chronic diseases, lifestyle features and cognitive loads directly affect brain function. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

"There are 14 known risk factors that increase susceptibility to dementia. But if you control and minimize them, the risk can be reduced by 45%. No one can give a 100% guarantee," the doctor notes.

According to her, all risk factors can be divided into several groups. The first includes chronic diseases that increase the risk.

"If all this is treated in time, the risk also falls. That is, modern medicines for treating high blood pressure, diabetes, antidepressants, statins — protect against dementia. Timely correction of vision and hearing also reduces the risks of developing dementia," she explains.

The next group of risk factors for dementia is lifestyle. These are not diseases, but habits that need to be changed.

"Healthy eating and regular physical activity protect against dementia. And excess weight often leads to hypertension and diabetes, which were in the first list," the doctor emphasizes.

The last risk factor is a low level of education. Zholdasova notes that this is not always the presence of an academic degree, but the brain's ability to absorb new information and new experience is important.

The doctor emphasizes that the more skills you have, the further dementia is from you. Any skill and any knowledge counts. You need to learn new things throughout your life, because it consists of different spheres. It would be good to be able to do something not only in your profession, but also to have a wide range of interests.

"Maybe foreign languages or musical instruments, or various types of handicrafts, construction sets come easily to you. It turned out that I enjoy assembling Lego construction sets. Recently I saw a huge Millennium Falcon spaceship on sale, maybe someday I'll buy it or someone will give it as a gift. Learn constantly, your cognitive reserve will someday push dementia away from you for many years," she advises.

Earlier, Zholdasova named the most common misconceptions about antidepressants.

If the article causes you anxiety, discuss it with an artificial psychologist.