There is increasing evidence that leading a healthy lifestyle can reduce a person's chances of needing dementia care in later life, an expert has claimed. Sarah Day, head of public health at the Alzheimer's Society, said that giving up smoking, eating the right foods and getting plenty of exercise are simple steps that people can take to reduce their risk of dementia. Ms Day's comments follow a recent study in the British Medical Journal indicating that breathing in second-hand smoke may contribute to cognitive impairment.
The expert noted "We've known for some time that smoking increases your risk of developing dementia. Now it seems that passive smoking could also have a harmful effect.One million people will develop dementia over the next ten years. It is important that smokers are supported to quit and the impact of second-hand smoke is reduced." A study in the British Medical Journal was conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge and found that second-hand smoke may increase a person's risk of cognitive impairment by as much as 44 per cent.