Working against these favorable trends, at least in the United States, are the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as widespread sedentary behavior.
"A lot of cardiovascular risk factors are shifting earlier now, so the exposures are in the teens and 20s as opposed to the 50s and 60s. And that’s bad," Dr. Yaffe observed.
Nonetheless, she reported that she sees opportunities. Earlier this year, Dr. Yaffe together with Dr. A. David Smith, professor emeritus of pharmacology, of the University of Oxford (England) penned an appeal to the governments of the G8 countries to make prevention of dementia a major health priority. The open letter, entitled "Dementia (Including Alzheimer’s Disease) Can Be Prevented," was signed by 109 experts from 36 countries.
"There is already sufficient evidence to justify immediate action," the authors declared (J. Alzheimer's Dis. 2014;38:699-703). "Tell people that adopting a healthy lifestyle may help ward off dementia as it does for other diseases."
Dr. Yaffe reported serving as a consultant to Novartis and Pfizer. She receives grant support from the National Institute on Aging, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Health Assistance Foundation, the California Department of Public Health, and the U.S. Department of Defense.