Rohit Shishoidia
Healthy lifestyle that includes performing regular exercise, not smoking, avoiding harmful consumption of alcohol, controlling weight gain, intake of healthy diet, maintaining healthy BP, cholesterol and blood sugar levels can prevent dementia in people, say guidelines released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The guidelines provide the knowledge base for doctors to tell patients the steps they can take to help prevent cognitive decline and dementia. The guidelines will also be useful for countries and planning authorities to guide them in developing policy and designing programmes that encourage healthy lifestyles.

The guidelines included recommendation of physical activities for adults with normal cognition to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. They also provide tobacco cessation clinics / program to reduce dementia risks.

“The mediterranean-like diet may be recommended to people with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment to reduce the risk of dementia. A healthy, balanced diet should be recommended to all adults based on WHO recommendations on healthy diet,” state the guidelines.

Interventions aimed at reducing harmful drinking should be offered to adults with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, in addition to other health benefits.

The guidelines state that diabetes management  in the form of medications and lifestyle interventions should be offered to people with diabetes as per WHO guidelines.