Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people and is a progressive disease beginning with mild
and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment (
).
Tau tangles and beta-amyloid plaques are two forms of brain proteins that proliferate out of control in people with Alzheimer’s disease. These proteins induce symptoms including confusion, memory loss, and personality changes while also destroying brain cells (2✔ ✔Trusted Source
What can you do to avoid Alzheimer’s disease?
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).
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Don’t lose hope. There are a lot of preventive steps you can take to fight the risk of getting Alzheimer’s.
How Can I Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?
Here are some ways you can save yourself from this debilitating disease:
Sweat it Out
Studies have shown that middle-aged people who exercised frequently had a 45% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise has been scientifically proven to assist older adults retain information and think more clearly (3✔ ✔Trusted Source
Relationship Between Exercise and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Narrative Literature Review
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).
The benefits of exercise in lowering the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease are still being studied, but a study in Nature Metabolism suggests that physical activity releases a hormone called irisin. The study’s findings demonstrated that this hormone had beneficial impacts on brain inflammation and cognition (4✔ ✔Trusted Source
Exercise hormone irisin is a critical regulator of cognitive function
Go to source).
“The most convincing evidence is that physical exercise helps prevent the development of Alzheimer’s or slow the progression in people who have symptoms,” Dr. Gad Marshall, director of clinical trials at Brigham & Women’s Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment.
“The recommendation is 30 minutes of moderately vigorous aerobic exercise, three to four days per week,” he advised.
Put That Cigarette Down
Cigarettes contain chemical toxins that are linked to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and that can promote brain inflammation, resulting in vascular bleeding, and stress cells.
Some studies note that smoking may increase Alzheimer’s risk by 30% to 50% (5✔ ✔Trusted Source
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission
Go to source).
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) provides the following advice to assist you in quitting smoking (6✔ ✔Trusted Source
Quitting Smoking for Older Adults
Go to source):
-
Utilize supplementary goods, like nicotine patches or prescription drugs - Create a workout schedule
- Use the savings from quitting to fund a rewards program
- Ask for support from loved ones
- Consider either individual or group therapy
- Download smoking cessation apps for motivation and instructional tips
There is also evidence that smoking cigarettes can help decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the literature does not encourage the use of cigarettes for Alzheimer’s (7✔ ✔Trusted Source
Smoking and increased Alzheimer’s disease risk: a review of potential mechanisms
Go to source
).
Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
Eating a Mediterranean diet has been shown to help thwart Alzheimer’s or slow its progression (8✔ ✔Trusted Source
What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease?
Go to source
).
A recent study found that the Mediterranean and MIND diets (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) both helped reduce Alzheimer’s disease symptoms and amyloid plaque levels in the brain (9✔ ✔Trusted Source
Association of Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay and Mediterranean Diets With Alzheimer Disease Pathology
Go to source
).
These diets consist of foods like whole grains, green leafy vegetables, fish, beans, olive oil, and nuts.
Keep Your Heart Healthy
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, all of which raise your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, also increase your risk of Alzheimer’s.
In fact, a recent meta-analysis of six studies published in The Lancet Neurology showed that people taking low blood pressure medication cut their Alzheimer’s disease risk by one-third (10✔ ✔Trusted Source
Antihypertensive medications and risk for incident dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a meta-analysis of individual participant data from prospective cohort studies
Go to source).
Being a Social Butterfly May Help you Fight Alzheimer’s
Scientists think that greater social contact helps prevent Alzheimer’s, as of now there is only information from observational studies.
While the reasons why socializing helps cut your risk are still unclear, the Alzheimer’s Association says that social connections may shore up nerve cell connections in the brain, making memory and thinking flow more smoothly.
Some tips to stay connected can be:
-
Reach out to your loved ones at least once a day - Adopt a furry friend
- Volunteer, it makes you feel good and can keep Alzheimer’s at bay. A win-win
- Take up a class you’ve always wanted
- Have a hobby that keeps you engaged and happy
In this Case, If you Snooze, You Don’t Lose
Growing data suggests that better sleep can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and is associated with increased amyloid clearance from the brain.
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications examined the behavior of nearly 8,000 people over the course of 20 years, beginning when they were 50.
People in their 50s and 60s who slept seven hours a night were 30% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those who slept six hours or less (11✔ ✔Trusted Source
Association of sleep duration in middle and old age with incidence of dementia
Go to source).
If you struggle falling asleep then try switching off all gadgets an hour before bed and follow a consistent bedtime routine. You can also try reducing your caffeine intake.
References :
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias – (https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/alzheimers.htm)
- What can you do to avoid Alzheimer’s disease? – (https://www.health.harvard.edu/alzheimers-disease/what-can-you-do-to-avoid-alzheimers-disease)
- Relationship Between Exercise and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Narrative Literature Review – (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32273835/)
- Exercise hormone irisin is a critical regulator of cognitive function – (https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-021-00438-z)
- Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission – (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7392084/)
- Quitting Smoking for Older Adults – (https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/quitting-smoking-older-adults)
- Smoking and increased Alzheimer’s disease risk: a review of potential mechanisms – (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24924665/)
- What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease? – (https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-do-we-know-about-diet-and-prevention-alzheimers-disease)
- Association of Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay and Mediterranean Diets With Alzheimer Disease Pathology – (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36889921/)
- Antihypertensive medications and risk for incident dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a meta-analysis of individual participant data from prospective cohort studies – (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(19)30393-X/fulltext)
- Association of sleep duration in middle and old age with incidence of dementia – (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33879784/)
Source: Medindia
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