Can You Really Prevent Alzheimer’s?

Many of us look at our golden years as a time when we will retire, possibly travel, and then we’ll go crazy. My dad occasionally call us to tell us I’m going on this potentially dangerous trip, I love you…. We all think it’s a stupid thing he does, but he likes to talk about his last fishing trip. Personally, I figure that when I realize I might be slipping, that will be it. There are plenty of simple ways to die, and Alzheimer’s does not sound appealing to me in any way. I’ve seen more than enough with grandparents before they died.

This begs the question, wouldn’t it be simpler and better to just prevent those types of issues? My great grandmother lived til she was 101, and she died in her sleep with no mental slowdown, no Alzheimer’s, no dementia. There are some factors that cannot be controlled like genetics for example along with age. However, there are other factors that go into our possible decline, such as pollutants, lifestyle, diet, and physical activity, that can be prevented.

If you want to keep your brain as fit as possible for years to come, it is completely possible.

Alzheimer’s is currently the 6th most common cause of death among Americans. A 2014 study was published in the journal Neurology to address just this type of issue. They wanted to reexamine cause of death on death certificates and medical records. These can help to create real rankings. The most common cause of death that researchers found was pneumonia with an underlying cause of Alzheimer’s in many cases.

Based on these numbers, researchers estimate that Alzheimer’s could actually be closer to the first or second most common cause of death along with heart disease and cancer. If they took into account these types of numbers (Alzheimer’s as a secondary cause) could be much higher, even 5 to 6 times the current estimate.

So what is this silent killer?

Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia. It is a disorder of the brain and deterioration of memory, decline in intellectual capacity, and even a change in personality and a loss in social skills that is severe enough to alter one’s ability to function on basic levels. It could stop someone from functioning independently.

Alzheimer’s is currently considered the most common cause of dementia, hitting 60% of all dementia cases. It is progressive, meaning it gets worse over time, and the progress is generally slow and steady.

The second most common form and cause of dementia is vascular dementia, which accounts for a mere 20% of dementia cases. However, with vascular dementia, the numbers are significantly harder to nail down. Still, it doesn’t come nearly as close as you would think. Vascular dementia progresses with plateaus and then sudden declines.

When it comes to these common forms of dementia, there is no cure. There is only prevention and some treatments to slow the progress temporarily. There is also no magic bullet. However, if you want to prevent dementia, a lot of it is basic health, things that you should be doing for yourself anyway to stay healthy (and not just in your brain).

For example, take care of your heart. Eat heart healthy, keep your blood pressure and cholesterol at normal levels so that you don’t have too much or too little important blood to bring nutrients into the brain. There are even some health experts who say that anything that is good for your heart is ultimately good for your brain. Along with a healthy diet, you can also exercise on a regular basis to achieve this.

The second big thing to do is to quit smoking and keep your drinking under control. Both nicotine and alcohol are commonly used drugs, but they can have a significant impact on your brain. Those who drank more than 2 drinks a day ended up developing Alzheimer’s 5 years earlier than those who did not. Those who smoked a pack or more a day developed Alzheimer’s 2 1/2 years earlier. When they did both, subjects got Alzheimer’s 6 to 7 years earlier.

You can also train your brain through brain games that you can currently find online, simple activities that you are just not familiar with (so your brain has to work harder), or again more exercise. If you are not familiar with knitting, that could be something simple, but you want to keep your brain working and thinking. You would be surprised at how big an effect these types of simple and common things can have.