More than 60% of cases of Alzheimer’s disease could be preventable, it was claimed today.
Researchers pin-pointed significant factors contributing to the disease – all of them "potentially" modifiable.
The findings come from an analysis of some 323 studies involving more than 5,000 people.
This suggested that factors that could help protect against the disease include oestrogen, statins, anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs to reduce blood pressure.
Vitamins C and E together with folate and coffee could also help stave off disease, the researchers say.
But suffering from depression while having high levels of homocysteine increased risk.
The findings are reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
The researchers say a number of factors have a "complex" role in affecting risk – including brain exercises, light drinking and stress, which were all linked to reduced risk.
But low educational attainment together with being overweight or underweight were linked to increased risk.
The researchers say people of Asian origin face increased risk from smoking and type 2 diabetes.
The researchers, led by Dr Jin-Tai Yu, of the University of California at San Francisco, USA, state: "This is an observational study, so no definitive conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, but preventive strategies, targeting diet, prescription drugs, body chemistry, mental health, underlying disease, and lifestyle might help curb the number of new cases of Alzheimer’s disease."
Meta-analysis of modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 21 August 2015; doi 10.1136/jnnp-2015-310548 [abstract]
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