A major new study suggests it's possible to avoid developing dementia in old age, even if one believes they are genetically predisposed. 

IN a  new study published in the peer-reviewed health journal JAMA, researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK analyzed data from almost 200,000 adults of European ancestry aged 60 and older, and isolated 1,769 cases of dementia to follow-up on over a period of eight years.

They found that people with high genetic risk and an unhealthy lifestyle were almost three times more likely to develop dementia versus those with a low genetic risk and healthy lifestyle.  But, patients who offset their high genetic risk with a healthy lifestyle reduced their risk of developing dementia by 32 percent.

"This research delivers a really important message that undermines a fatalistic view of dementia," said Professor David Llewellyn of the University of Exeter Medical School and fellow at the Alan Turing Institute.  "Some people believe it’s inevitable they'll develop dementia because of their genetics."

The healthy, "favorable" lifestyle in the study turned out to the the usual stuff your doctor has been recommending all along:  Get some exercise on a regular basis.  Eat a healthy diet low in fat, salt, and sugar.  Stop smoking cigarettes.

Moderate alcohol consumption was part of the "favorable" lifestyle - drinking one of more beverages with artificial sweetener was not.  An earlier 2017 study published in the medical journal "Stroke" said, "Drinking at least one artificially sweetened beverage daily was associated with almost three times the risk of developing stroke or dementia compared to those who drank artificially sweetened beverages less than once a week."