Diet, ageing and dementia

Improvements in health care have allowed a greater number of people to live longer but with increasing age there is an increased risk of developing debilitating age-related disorders. Dementia is emerging as one of the greatest challenges to healthy ageing yet current understanding as to the causes and treatment of dementia is limited. A number of studies indicate that inflammation and vascular disease are important risk factors and strategies that address these conditions may reduce the risk of dementia. Popuiation-based studies indicate that antioxidant and homocysteine-lowering vitamins along with anti-inflammatory n-3 fatty acids and polyphenols have the potential to reduce the risk of developing dementia although as yet much uncertainty exists as to the efficacy of these approaches. Further research efforts are required to better understand the relationship between diet, ageing and dementia.