Alzheimer’s disease is the first cause of dementia: over 30 million people suffer it across the globe. While there is no cure for it, there are some basic lifestyle areas you can improve that will reduce the risk you’ll get Alzheimer’s.
Is there a scientific base for this?
Yes, there is some serious research showing that good lifestyle habits can reduce:
- inflammation
- oxidative stress
Both of these are risk factors for Alzheimer’s.
1. Diet & exercise
Several researches showed that a healthy diet can have a significant impact on your Alzheimer’s risk. By healthy diet we mean one that includes:
- fruits and vegetables
- whole grains
- lean protein such as chicken breast, lean beef, beans…
These types of foods help reduce the oxidate stress in your body. They also keep your arteries “clean” preventing other types of brain damage (like brain strokes).
Exercise is also beneficial, because it allows you to burn any excessive sugar or fats.
2. Mental stimulation
You know what they say: “if you don’t use it, you lose it”. And that is true for both your muscles and your brain.
That’s why you should make an effort to remain mentally active and engaged.
Some people even even go as far to say you shouldn’t retire because it leads to cognitive decline, which can lead to Alzheimer’s. Of course, when to retire is your decision. But it is important to stay mentally active.
To do so, you can try:
- reading
- crossword puzzles
- games (chess, checkers…)
I have my grandfather as a good example. He is 93 and even though he retired at 67, he’s always managed to stay busy.
Currently, he is working on a family tree, gathering all the information from his grand-grand-parents, which is keeping him real busy. He already went all the way back to the 19th century.
3. Sleep & stress
Chronic stress is really harmful for your body and for your mind.
While stress is supposed to be a helpful advantage, it is meant to work for small periods of time, like a few seconds. It’s just meant to warn you of a danger.
However, most of us suffer chronic stress, which is not healthy. Actually, it increases the oxidative stress in our brain.
Some good sleep has the opposite effect. It makes you calmer and it reduces the feeling of anxiety. That’s why it’s important to get all the sleep you need.
You can also practice relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation, anything to keep your anxiety under control.
4. Social connections
Finally, social connections are crucial.
Staying socially engaged can reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s. Just as playing games or reading keeps you mentally sharp, staying socially active has a lot of value for our brain.
The mere task of talking to another person, reading their emotions… forces our brain to do some important work, even if we don’t realize.
There are studies that prove that social isolation can increase the risk of cognitive decline.
The opposite is true as well: staying socially active can help protect against Alzheimer’s.
In conclusion, while there is no guaranteed way to prevent Alzheimer’s, making healthy choices does help reduce your risk.
These are not very complex steps, but they sure are important.
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