Dementia: Your questions answered and lion's mane mushrooms in the lab
Feb 18, 2025
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Professor Tara Spires-Jones, a leading expert at the University of Edinburgh, answers pressing listener questions about dementia. She discusses the impact of lifestyle choices on dementia risk and the balance between genetics and societal interventions in prevention. The episode also explores the fascinating potential of lion's mane mushrooms in combating cognitive decline, revealing both the excitement and skepticism tied to their benefits. Insights into various dementia types and the urgent need for research funding round out this enlightening conversation.
Establishing a positive relationship with dementia patients by focusing on their abilities can enhance their joy and interactions.
Lifestyle choices significantly influence dementia risk, with physical activity and mental stimulation playing key roles in mitigating genetic predispositions.
Deep dives
Maintaining Connection with Dementia Patients
Establishing a positive relationship with individuals suffering from dementia is crucial, focusing on their abilities and interests rather than their limitations. Engaging in activities that they still enjoy, such as playing games or reminding them of past stories, can help evoke fond memories and foster a sense of connection. For instance, recognizing their capacity to perform tasks with slight guidance illustrates that their skills can remain intact. This approach emphasizes that individuals with dementia can still experience joy and meaningful interactions, challenging the notion that life halts following a diagnosis.
The Role of Lifestyle in Dementia Prevention
Lifestyle choices play a significant role in modifying the risk factors associated with dementia, with studies suggesting that around 40% of Alzheimer's risk is adjustable through such changes. Regular physical activity, social engagement, and mental stimulation can potentially mitigate genetic predispositions to dementia, highlighting the importance of a healthy lifestyle. For instance, maintaining fitness through regular gym visits reflects an effort to counteract familial risk factors. Greater societal focus on structural changes that promote healthy living is necessary, as many individuals face barriers in making lifestyle adjustments.
Exploring Natural Remedies for Brain Health
Natural supplements, such as lion's mane mushroom, are gaining attention for their potential cognitive benefits, although scientific consensus on their efficacy remains inconclusive. Preliminary studies indicate lion's mane may bolster nerve growth and cognitive function in laboratory settings, particularly in aging specimens. Despite claims on social media, substantial evidence supporting its effectiveness in preventing Alzheimer's disease is still lacking, suggesting caution in consumer enthusiasm. Higher quality research is essential to explore potential therapeutic applications while acknowledging that natural remedies should not replace conventional medical care.
You sent in your questions on dementia and now we're tackling them. Professor Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, joins James Gallagher to go through the insidehealth@bbc.co.uk mailbag.
James also visits mushroom grower the Bristol Fungarium which has teamed up with the University of the West of England to examine a mushroom called lion's mane.
Lion's mane has a lot of hype about it online as well as a long history in traditional medicine and neuroscientist Dr Tim Craig and his team are taking it into their to lab to investigate whether it might harbour properties that could benefit people with dementia.
Thanks to everyone who sent in questions after listening to our episode 'What next for Alzheimer's treatment' which is available on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024ng7
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Tom Bonnett
Editor: Holly Squire
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