Taiwan's Dementia Growth Rate Outpaces Global Average by 1.5 Times; High-Risk Vascular Type is Key

(CNA, Reporter Chen Chieh-ling, Taipei, 7th) The prevalence and growth rate of dementia in Taiwan are considered to be about 1.5 times higher than the global average. Doctors believe this is the result of multiple overlapping factors, including Taiwan's rapid population aging, which is among the fastest in the world, and particularly the extremely high risk of vascular dementia, which has become a crucial key.

In recent years, as many celebrities have been reported to have dementia, Dr. Yang Tsung-tsai, a psychiatrist at a private clinic, explained to the media in writing today that Taiwan is entering a super-aged society at an extremely fast pace, but healthy life expectancy has not increased in tandem. This means people are living longer, but the period of brain degeneration is also longer. Coupled with the accumulation of more chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cerebrovascular disease, these are all direct causes of dementia.

Dr. Yang said that the risk of vascular dementia in Taiwan is extremely high, which is a unique and important key. A large proportion of dementia in Taiwan is of a mixed type, meaning Alzheimer's combined with vascular dementia, and the proportion of pure vascular dementia is also high. The reasons stem from a high-salt dining-out culture, a high-sugar hand-shaken drink culture, and the high prevalence of the "three highs" (hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia). Vascular degeneration progresses faster than Alzheimer's.

In addition to the "superficial increase" caused by medical advances leading to more dementia diagnoses, Dr. Yang stated that Taiwan's long-term high-competition environment, such as a high-work-hour society and mid-life stress, also plays a role. Chronic stress leads to long-term elevated cortisol, atrophy of the hippocampus (the memory center), and a sedentary lifestyle with insufficient exercise, all of which decrease brain blood flow, weaken neuroplasticity, and cause the brain to age prematurely.

Dr. Yang reminds that, besides aging, what truly accelerates dementia are daily habits. Lack of exercise is the most underestimated risk. Common dietary risks in Taiwan, such as high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt fried foods, sugary drinks, and processed foods, are invisible killers. Social isolation is quiet yet deadly; clinical studies have found that loneliness itself is a risk factor for dementia.

Furthermore, excessive reliance on digital devices is also a risk factor for dementia. Dr. Yang said the modern problem is not remembering phone numbers, relying solely on smartphone contact lists; not remembering routes, depending entirely on GPS navigation; and not thinking, using search engines instead of brainpower. When brain usage decreases and cognitive reserve is reduced, the ability to resist dementia declines.

"Ignoring hearing and vision decline is very dangerous," Dr. Yang stated. Most people do not know that hearing loss is one of the important risk factors for dementia. The brain needs to expend more resources to understand sound, increasing the cognitive load. The medical relationship between sleep and dementia is one of the most important breakthroughs in research in the last decade; only during deep sleep does the cerebrospinal fluid flow and clear out toxins.

Dr. Yang recommends for the 40-50 age group that exercise is the strongest "anti-dementia drug," with 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, supplemented by weight training. For diet, choose the Mediterranean diet. Sleep 7-8 hours per night. Continuously use the brain by learning new skills like languages or musical instruments, or through reading and thinking. Maintain social connections and control chronic diseases to also prevent dementia. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150607