Additional treatments for dementia risk

Treatments and behaviours

Some treatments and behaviours may be positive, such as following a healthy diet. But claims that they can affect a person’s risk of developing dementia are not supported by the evidence.

• Diet and dementia, there is conflicting research about how the things you eat affects the risk of developing dementia. For most people, following the Mediterranean diet is a good way to ensure a healthy diet, which may be important for maintaining good brain function.
• Brain training and dementia, brain training involves activities that challenge your brain to keep your thinking sharp. Brain training can improve memory and thinking, but its effect on dementia has not been proven.
• Hormones and dementia risk, Women make up an estimated 65% of people who currently have dementia. It is thought that hormones may play a role in this.
• Coconut oil and dementia, some believe coconut oil may act as an alternative energy source for brain cells that may need more glucose in dementia. However, there is currently a lack of evidence to show that coconut oil plays a role in preventing or treating dementia or its symptoms.