There is no known prevention for Alzheimer’s disease, but staying fit and eating healthy can help. Other recommendations for preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s disease include keeping your weight within recommended guidelines, avoiding tobacco and excess alcohol, staying socially connected and exercising both your body and mind.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association recent studies link a sedentary lifestyle to increased risk for a number of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes – and now Alzheimer's disease. Kivipelto found that being overweight or obese in one’s 50s increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease. Obesity in middle age, she says, roughly doubled the risk for Alzheimer's at the end of life. Just as dangerous, she says, is high blood pressure or high cholesterol, especially elevated levels of LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol. Moreover, she says people who were overweight and had high blood pressure and high cholesterol while in their 50s increased the risk of Alzheimer's disease by about six-fold, which is more than the increased risk in people who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's disease.
Lastly, research has found that consuming a diet rich in certain vitamins, called antioxidants, may help decrease one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin E and Vitamin C have proved to be most influential. Antioxidants help eliminate harmful free radicals from your body, helping to prevent a variety of diseases such as cancer. Antioxidants may also improve immune function as well as lowering one’s risk for infection. Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin found primarily in vegetable and nut oils, as well as in spinach and whole grain products. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin most commonly found in citrus fruits, as well as in tomatoes, spinach and red peppers. For maximum prevention, it is recommended that these vitamins be provided by actual foods and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Rebecca
