Dementia cases are on the rise, largely as a result of individuals living longer lives. Early detection of symptoms is critical in order to begin therapy, even if there is currently no cure.

As the world’s population ages, dementia has become a growing health concern.

Dementia is an umbrella word that covers a wide range of cognitive impairments, rather than a singular ailment. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all cases.

Dementia affects around 5.8 million people in the US, and there is presently no cure. However, it is still critical to recognize the advance warnings and symptoms.

Forgetting freshly gained information is one of the most typical indications of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the early stages.

There are, however, a few other early symptoms that could be linked to certain food desires.

While Alzheimer’s disease is the most frequent form of dementia, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a rarer kind that affects behavior, language, and, unexpectedly, eating choices.

Patients with FTD may “crave sweet, fatty foods, or carbohydrates and forget their table manners,” according to the Alzheimer’s Society.

“They may also no longer know when to stop eating, drinking alcohol, or smoking,” the health charity warned.

They may forget how to chew and swallow or be distracted by their surroundings if they are suffering from a brain degenerative disorder.

They may also have difficulty eating.

Food, eating, and nutrition problems can be caused by symptoms such as loss of appetite, memory loss, and problems with judgment.

“As most caregivers know, many people who have dementia experience sudden changes in appetite which can lead to appetite loss, weight loss or increased cravings of foods and weight gain,” according to Alzheimers.net.

“Often people with dementia don’t taste food and experience flavour like they once did, which can change appetite preferences.”

“Because taste buds are diminished as people age, people with dementia opt for heavy foods or foods with a lot of flavour.”

Sweet, salty, sour, and bitter are the four tastes detected by a person’s taste buds.

The fewer taste buds one has as one gets older, the less sensitive one becomes to taste.

We have between 10,000 and 15,000 taste buds while we are young. However, by the age of 70, most people have lost around two-thirds of their taste buds, and food begins to taste bland.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s medications have been found to impact a person’s taste.

There are other signs of dementia.

• Small changes in short-term memory
• Changes in mood Apathy Difficulty finding the proper words
• Task difficulty
• Confusion
• Follow storylines poorly
• A deteriorated sense of orientation
• Repetition
• Having difficulty adapting to change
• Poor decision-making.

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