[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6533\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHalf of dementia risk down to lifestyle\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Dementia is the number one fear of ageing and yet people don\u2019t know that 50 % of our cognitive health is in our own hands,\u2019 said Dr Kate Irving, of Dublin City University, Ireland.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGetting to grips with what causes Alzheimer\u2019s disease \u2013 and other forms of dementia \u2013 is an urgent challenge. According to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.alz.co.uk\/research\/world-report-2016\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E2016 World Alzheimer Report\u003C\/a\u003E, nearly 47 million people worldwide are living with dementia, projected to rise to 131.5 million by 2050.\u003Cdiv class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-bg-bluelightest tw-p-12 tw-my-12 tw--mx-16\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3 class=\u0022tw-font-sans tw-font-bold tw-text-blue tw-uppercase tw-text-lg tw-mb-8\u0022\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-inline-block tw-w-1\/6 tw-h-1 tw-bg-blue tw-mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022selectionshareable selectionShareable\u0022\u003EBy 2060,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/economy_finance\/graphs\/2015-05-12_ageing_report_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Emore than a quarter\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;of Europeans will be 65 years old or over.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionshareable selectionShareable\u0022\u003EIt means that health systems will have to spend more and more resources dealing with diseases that affect older people, such as dementia. Alzheimer\u2019s disease is currently the most common form of dementia, representing about \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.alz.org\/what-is-dementia.asp\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E60 % to 80 %\u003C\/a\u003E of cases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EUnder the Horizon 2020 funding programme, the EU has so far dedicated \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/sides\/getAllAnswers.do?reference=E-2015-006876\u0026amp;language=EN\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eat least EUR\u0026nbsp;87.5 million\u003C\/a\u003E to understanding how dementia works and can be treated.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet only a small proportion of dementia cases \u2013 around 5 % \u2013 are genetically inherited. What is certain is that diet, exercise and education all have an important role to play.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need to change communities so that they support people to live healthier lifestyles,\u2019 said Dr Irving, who coordinates the EU-funded In-MINDD project that has developed an online profiling tool doctors can use to steer middle-aged people towards making brain-healthy choices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy 2018, the global economic \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.alz.co.uk\/news\/world-alzheimer-report-2015-reveals-global-cost-of-dementia-set-to-reach-usd-1-trillion-by-2018\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ecost of dementia\u003C\/a\u003E is expected to reach USD 1 trillion. Dementia in all its forms can lead to stigma and isolation in people with the condition and has a huge impact not only on the people themselves but also on their families and carers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Irving said her previous clinical work as a nurse left her \u2018astounded\u2019 that patients often had no idea there was anything they could do to decrease their chances of developing poor cognitive health as they age.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESteps\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe and the In-MINDD team set about reviewing and understanding the available data on dementia in order to develop a clear and accurate message that could be communicated to the public about the steps that can be taken to cut their risk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs well as the tool for doctors, the In-MINDD team has also developed an \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/in-mindd.eu\/home\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eonline tool\u003C\/a\u003E for 40 to 60 year olds to help them assess how brain-friendly their lifestyle is.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt looks at everything from how many times per week they go for a walk to their occupation, the number of years they have spent doing regular housework or childcare, and the amount of pulses and green vegetables they eat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd in fact, it\u2019s the diet that could have one of the biggest impacts, a separate group of researchers believes, due to the effect of what we eat on the bacteria that colonise the gut \u2013 known as the gut microbiome.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018We do believe that what you eat shapes the way your brain ages.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Aleksandra Radenovic, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We do believe that what you eat shapes the way your brain ages,\u2019 said Professor Aleksandra Radenovic at the \u00c9cole Polytechnique F\u00e9d\u00e9rale de\u0026nbsp;Lausanne, Switzerland.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlong with Professor Lasser, also at the \u00c9cole Polytechnique F\u00e9d\u00e9rale de Lausanne, she is coordinating a European wide consortium examining the connection between the gut microbiome and Alzheimer\u2019s disease as part of the EU-funded AD-gut project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe is part of a research team that is examining in detail the connection between the gut microbiome and Alzheimer\u2019s disease as part of the EU-funded AD-gut project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s still not clear whether the microbiome affects Alzheimer\u2019s or vice versa.\u0026nbsp;However, the team is aiming to grow and encapsulate microorganisms that could modulate the microbiota in the gut. Once they have done this they will assess its impact on the brain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re aiming to understand the underlying mechanisms by which microbiota impacts on the development of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and enable future research that might hopefully help in the delay of Alzheimer\u2019s onset,\u2019 said Prof. Radenovic.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-s2zgopsiuif7ttkvgzuhckoi2coy3nimrxe9nxctyye\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-S2ZGoPsIuIf7TTKvGzuHcKOI2coy3nIMrXe9nXCTYyE\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]