How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers are discovering … how to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Or at least learning how to slow its progression…  may be as simple as engaging the mind and body in regular exercise. And a consistent brain fitness program. With life expectancy increasing from 50 years to nearly 80 years… since the turn of the century… the growth of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s… have become more clear and widespread. Creating public awareness regarding facts about Alzheimer’s disease… and Alzheimer’s disease prevention.

First noted in 1906, a Bavarian psychiatrist named Alois Alzheimer… thought this disease, known now as Alzheimer’s disease (AD)… was some kind of premature dementia related to senility. But, we now know that AD presents a genetic predisposition at high as 50 or 60 percent in some families.

Because Alzheimer’s is strongly genetic…, how can it be preventable? According to an article published by the American Physiological Society titled “Alzheimer’s Disease: Genes, Proteins and Therapy by Dennis Selkoe… one of the risks associated with developing AD is vigorously correlated… with the presence of cardiovascular disease. In fact, autopsy studies have revealed that… 80 percent of people expiring while experiencing AD.. Suffered from some type of cardiovascular disease.

How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease by Diet and Exercise

Nearly half of people over 60 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease… suffer from vascular dementia. Or dementia caused by damaged vessels that can no longer carry enough supply of blood to the brain.

Vascular dementia usually results from:

Strokes

High cholesterol

Atherosclerosis

High blood pressure produced by a sedentary lifestyle

Unhealthy diets

Smoking

Excessive use of alcohol.

The brain requires a steady and rich supply of nutrients, oxygen, and glucose. This is provided via blood flow. When this necessary blood flow is impeded by obstructed or impaired vessels… neurons die. Depending on how much blood is reaching the brain… cognitive difficulties may occur and take many years to reach a critical stage. Or they may happen especially in the case of a major stroke that severely restricts blood flow.

Exercise, Nutrition and Alzheimer’s Disease

Exercising regularly and eating healthy foods is the key to remaining free of cardiovascular diseases… that exacerbate Alzheimer’s disease. Even individuals genetically predisposed to AD… can benefit from learning how to prevent Alzheimer’s disease… by adhering to a lifestyle that involves eating:

More vegetables

Fruits

Grains

Drinking water, coffee or tea instead of sodas

And walking two to three miles each week.

Other exercises recommended for senior citizens are swimming, stair climbing, yoga, and dancing.

Keeping Alzheimer’s Genes “Turned Off”

Genes for all kinds of disorders lay dormant in our cells until they are “turned on” by an external influence. For example, research has discovered that people who develop schizophrenia (another highly genetic disorder) have experienced… extremely stressful situations that trigger the release of the gene’s attributes. If these events had not affected an individual with the schizophrenia gene… that person may have lived a life free of this devastating mental disease. But carried the gene as a dormant gene.

Alzheimer’s genes work in the same way. Lying dormant until something triggers them, like heart disease. AD genes have other triggers as well.

How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease Through Mental Stimulation

The brain’s plasticity continues to amaze neurologists. It was once thought humans were born with all the neurons they would ever possess. Neuroscientists now know that the brain continues to create neurons… by a process called neurogenesis, at a rate of possibly millions each day. New connections are made among the vast supply of brain cells… whenever we learn something new.

Neurogenesis and new connections do not arise by themselves.

Without regular stimulation of the brain by:

Reading

Memorizing

Analyzing

Performing “brain boosters” like crossword puzzles

Learning a new language

And playing card games. New neuronal connections will not develop and the brain essentially begins to wither… like a plant without water.

Combining a sedentary lifestyle, bad food habits and habitually doing nothing but watching television… with receiving little mental stimulation… greatly increases a person’s chance for suffering Alzheimer’s disease.

These things not only represent powerful genetic triggers… but are also conducive to the development of AD in people without a family history of AD.

How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease by Reducing Stress

The negative effects of chronic stress and anxiety are many:

Hypertension

High cholesterol

Diabetes

Weight gain

And psychological disorders.

Stress also causes the hippocampus to shrink.

Which is a brain structure responsible for long-term and short-term memory. Some shrinkage is inevitable due to the normal aging process. Someone with AD who is a “worry-warts” or who lives in a constantly stressful situation… is more likely to have a hippocampus substantially smaller… than those with a normal hippocampus.

A study conducted by Kirk Erickson (et al) titled “Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory”was published in the 2011… Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It reported that subjects between 55 and 80 who engaged in regular aerobic exercise… actually increased the size of their hippocampus and averted cognitive decline.

Maintaining an active social life by:

Volunteering

Joining clubs

Taking art or academic classes

Or just having lunch with friends… is another important example that contributes to learning how to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Socializing, talking and laughing with friends and family members… is an excellent source of “brain food”. Stimulating neuronal connections, as well as reducing stress.

http://www.alz.org/research/science/alzheimers_prevention_and_risk.asp

http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_prevention_slowing_down_treatment.htm