Almost one million people in the UK are currently living with dementia, with thousands more at risk. While there is no cure, there are a number of factors known to either lower or raise your risk. Now a study has found bone health could be one such factor.
Research by a team at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, showed that people who have low bone density may have an increased risk of developing dementia compared to people who have higher bone density.
The study, published in Neurology journal, does not prove that low bone density causes dementia, however, it shows an association.
Study author Mohammad Arfan Ikram explained: “Low bone density and dementia are two conditions that commonly affect older people simultaneously, especially as bone loss often increases due to physical inactivity and poor nutrition during dementia.
“However, little is known about bone loss that occurs in the period leading up to dementia.
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“Our study found that bone loss indeed already occurs before dementia and thus is linked to a higher risk of dementia.”
The study involved 3,651 people in the Netherlands with an average age of 72 who did not initially have dementia.
Over an average of 11 years, 688 people – or 19 percent developed dementia.
Participants were interviewed every four to five years and completed physical tests such as bone scans and tests for dementia.
And researchers looked at X-rays to identify bone density.
Of the 1,211 people with the lowest total body bone density, 90 people developed dementia within 10 years, compared to 57 of the 1,211 people with the highest bone density.
After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, education, other illnesses and medication use, and a family history of dementia, researchers found that within 10 years, people with the lowest total body bone density were 42 percent more likely to develop dementia than people in the highest group.
“In conclusion, participants with low femoral neck and total body bone mineral density and low trabecular bone score were more likely to develop dementia,” the study summarised.
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“If that were the case, bone loss could be an indicator of risk for dementia and people with bone loss could be targeted for screening and improved care.”
However, researchers noted that study participants were primarily of European origin and age 70 or older at the start of the study, so these findings may vary in different races, ethnicities, and younger age groups.
According to the Mayo Clinic, ways to strengthen your bones include:
- Getting enough calcium and vitamin D either through diet or supplementation
- Exercising daily
- Avoiding smoking and cutting back on alcohol.
Common signs of dementia are memory loss, difficulty concentrating, finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, being confused about time and place and mood changes.
If you think you or someone you know has dementia you should speak with a GP.
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