by Kevin K. Johnson, Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)®
Did you know that November is National Alzheimer’s month. Ironically, President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month back in 1983. In 20
11, President Obama signed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, a law aimed at raising Alzheimer’s profile, increasing funding for research and fighting Alzheimer’s with an intensity equal to that in the war against cancer and heart disease. The hope: to wipe out or at least better treat Alzheimer’s by 2025. Officials are frustrated that, while death rates from stroke, prostate cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, and HIV declined between 2000 and 2008, the death rate from Alzheimer’s jumped by 66 percent. The increase in Alzheimer’s dementia will likely continue with approximately 10,000 Americans reaching the age of 65 every year. So While committed to the research required to cure Alzheimer dementia, at this time, we have nothing.
That said, let’s look at what most knowledgeable scholars in this field believe we might do to help avoid an Alzheimer diagnosis. Here are the thought of experts as reported by Sarah Baldauf in U.S. News & World Report.
We all want to dodge the Alzheimer’s bullet. And lucky us, Mother Nature has counterbalanced the power of our hard-wired genes by allowing multiple lifestyle choices to greatly influence our aging. Your destiny is not fated; you do have some control. Yes, genes are powerful forces, but they “are not even the dominant factor” for the vast majority of people, says Paul Thompson, professor of neurology at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine. Here are some actionable factors that can help your brain stay healthy over the long term.
Physical Activity
Research from the University of Illinois has suggested that regular aerobic activity—like running, walking, or bicycling, which require oxygen to produce energy—may do a better job of protecting brain function than non-aerobic activity, which does not recruit oxygen and uses short bursts of motion (golf, tennis, and lifting weights). Reaping the cognitive benefits of pumping oxygen- and sugar-rich blood to the brain won’t require high intensity exercise, says William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association. The Alzheimer’s Association advises picking activities you like and doing them regularly for at least 30 minutes a day.
Weight Control
The heavier a person is, the more likely he or she may be to develop Alzheimer’s. Thompson published research that found that the brains of older individuals who were obese (with a body mass index over 30) had approximately 8 percent less brain volume than subjects of normal weight (BMI between 18.5 and 25). When brain-volume loss reaches about 10 percent, Thompson says, symptoms like memory trouble or confusion appear. Earlier studies have suggested that people who are obese in midlife have a threefold increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and those who are overweight (considered a BMI between 25 and 30) have a twofold increased risk. This is due, at least in part, to the fact that with added pounds, fat gets deposited in the brain and narrows blood vessels that deliver fuel, Thompson theorizes. Over the long term, brain cells die and vital connections and volume are lost.
Mental Challenges
The heavier a person is, the more likely he or she may be to develop Alzheimer’s. Thompson published research that found that the brains of older individuals who were obese (with a body mass index over 30) had approximately 8 percent less brain volume than subjects of normal weight (BMI between 18.5 and 25). When brain-volume loss reaches about 10 percent, Thompson says, symptoms like memory trouble or confusion appear. Earlier studies have suggested that people who are obese in midlife have a threefold increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and those who are overweight (considered a BMI between 25 and 30) have a two-fold increased risk. This is due, at least in part, to the fact that with added pounds, fat gets deposited in the brain and narrows blood vessels that deliver fuel, Thompson theorizes. Over the long term, brain cells die and vital connections and volume are lost.
Social Connections
Research has found that people with larger social networks, while they had similar amounts of the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s as did more isolated people, were less affected cognitively. And separate research suggests that psychological distress over the long term significantly raises a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Thies predicts that science will eventually reveal that “this kind of interaction stimulates the brain to make new connections” that perhaps help compensate for decline. To get a ‘threefer’, try learning the intricate steps of the tango in a dance class with your friends.
Healthy Diet
“What we have pretty good evidence for is that a diet higher in vegetables and lower in fat is [protective,]” explains Thies. While the evidence doesn’t offer up any recipes for success, the general recommendation is to get plenty of veggies and fruits with dark skins, like spinach, beets, red bell peppers, onions, eggplants, prunes, blackberries, strawberries, red grapes, oranges, and cherries, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Some evidence suggests green, leafy cruciferous vegetables, in particular, are helpful. Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial. So may some nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, and pecans, that have high levels of vitamin E, an antioxidant. Research published in the Archives of Neurology suggested that the Mediterranean diet appears to be protective against Alzheimer’s. Some animal research has shown that curcumin, which is in the curry spice turmeric, suppresses the buildup of beta-amyloid, a main component in the harmful plaques in the Alzheimer’s-afflicted brain.
Chronic Disease Control
Buckholtz notes that “high blood pressure in old age is a very strong risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s later on, but if you can keep the blood pressure down, that decreases your risk.” And a study published in the journal Dementia & Geriatric Cognitive Disorders found that people in their 40s who had mildly elevated cholesterol were at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life. A sizable body of evidence suggests that type 2 diabetes and heart disease affect the brain and perhaps the development or severity of Alzheimer’s.
Now we all likely know a few exceptions; older adults who have Alzheimer’s who seem to have done all six of these areas. Nevertheless, living your life with these six factors in mind, are believed to give you the best opportunity to either avoid Alzheimer’s disease or forestall it’s onset.