How Can I Protect Myself From Alzheimer's Disease?

Highlights:

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults and affects millions worldwide
There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease but you can reduce its risk by following a Mediterranean diet, quitting smoking, and exercising
Getting good sleep and socializing are also good ways of keeping Alzheimer's at bay

Forgetting where you kept your wallet can be annoying, but what happens when it happens all the time?. You forget what a wallet is for, you lose parts of your personality, and you can’t seem to remember anything. This could point to Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer's disease can rob you of your memories and has no cure, but don’t lose hope. There are things you can do to prevent it.

Alzheimer's Disease: Why Do Some People Develop It While Others Don't?
A new blood biomarker can predict whether elderly people who are cognitively healthy will develop Alzheimer's disease.

‘Find ways to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and don’t let it take your memories away from you. #Alzheimersdisease’

Alzheimer's disease affects millions of people and is a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss 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 ().

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:

Low on Sleep? You Might be at Risk of Alzheimer's and Stroke
A lack of deep sleep has been related to an increased risk of stroke and Alzheimer's 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 ().

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 ().

Walking: The Route to Delaying Alzheimer's Disease
Regular walking can delay Alzheimer’s disease by strengthening the links in and between brain networks, according to a recent study.

"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.

Diet and Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's begins with forgetfulness, but over time affects speech and coordination along with drastic behavioral changes. The right diet may lower your risk by 40%. So isn't a diet change worth it?

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% (). The National Institute on Aging (NIA) provides the following advice to assist you in quitting smoking ():

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 ().

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies

Eating a Mediterranean diet has been shown to help thwart Alzheimer's or slow its progression (). 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 ().

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 ().

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 ().

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