8 Easy Ways to Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease that is fatal. It slowly robs its victims of their memories and thinking skills, and currently there is no known cure.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take on your own to help lower your risk of developing the deadly disease. Here are 8 easy things you can do to help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s.

1. Go Mediterranean

There is an abundance of information available that backs the claim that a Mediterranean diet benefits not only the heart, but the brain as well. The National Institutes of Health published an analysis [1] of a number of studies that researched the benefits of a Mediterranean diet, and the results were clear. There was a significant connection between people who followed the specialized diet and a reduced risk of developing degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

2. A Little Red Wine

Red wine? Absolutely. The secret ingredient is a natural compound found in grapes, called Resveratrol, according to The National Institutes of Health [2]. According to various studies [3, 4], when consumed in moderation, red wine has been linked to lower rates of Alzheimer’s.

3. Keep Your Blood Pressure Down

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, has been linked to the onset of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. In fact, researchers at John Hopkins University have found a link between the administering of prescription blood pressure medications and a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease [5]. Luckily, high blood pressure can be easily controlled through, among other things, simple dietary changes.

See also: preventing Alzheimer’s

4. Limit Trans Fat and Saturated Fats

Aside from helping to improve overall health, a diet low in trans fats and saturated fats may also help lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A series of studies reported by the National Institutes of Health highlight a possible link between Alzheimer’s and cholesterol, as well as a lower risk of Alzheimer’s development in those who’ve been prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs versus those who hadn’t been given prescriptions [6].

5. Supplements Can Help

A high dose B vitamin treatment containing folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 was shown to slow down the shrinkage of brain volume over a two-year period in a recent study [7]. The study, reported by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), showed that the vitamin treatment aided the area of gray matter most vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease by as much as seven times because it stopped cerebral atrophy.

6. The Social Connection

An active social life is linked to lower risk of Alzheimer’s [8]. The more we travel, spend time with our families and friends, and participate in volunteer and community work, the better our chances of not developing Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia [9].

7. Go for a Walk

Staying active is one of the best defenses against Alzheimer’s disease. Research shows that maintaining regular physical activity is beneficial to preventing Alzheimer’s disease because it strengthens the body’s tissues and cells against oxidative stress, and other conditions critical to brain plasticity and memory retention [10].

 

8. Keep Your Brain Busy

Many studies have connected the habit of keeping our brains active and stimulated with a lower risk of developingAlzheimer’s disease [8].One such study [11], conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, found that Tau protein’s brain fluid levels were boosted when brain cell activity increased. Tau protein stabilizes microtubules, and that helps prevent cell tangles from forming. It’s important because when tangles form, it prevents nutrients from navigating through cells, and the cells eventually die [12].

Alzheimer’s disease currently affects more than 5 million Americans, but in no way is it a certainty that we’ll develop it simply because we age. The more preventive measures we take, the better chance we have of healthy aging, both physically and mentally.

sources:

[1]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20182044
[2]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15455646
[3]http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/3365/green_tea_and_red_wine_extracts_disrupt_alzheimers
[4]http://www.buckinstitute.org/buck-news/major-alzheimers-risk-factor-linked-red-wine-target
[5]http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/blood_pressure_drugs_shown_to_decrease_risk_of_alzheimers_disease_dementia
[6]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393525/
[7]http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/05/16/1301816110
[8]http://www.nia.nih.gov/sites/default/files/preventing_alzheimers_disease_0.pdf
[9]http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_remain_socially_active.asp
[10]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20182027
[11]http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/26552.aspx
[12]http://www.alz.org/braintour/tangles.asp

Originally posted 2014-06-23 11:41:48.

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