Although age and genetics are major risk factors, research suggests diet and exercise also plays an important role in prevention of Alzheimer’s.Eating a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet is essential to both brain health and heart health. And consuming poly-unsaturated omega 3 fatty acids found in fish is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Moreover, many scientists now believe Alzheimer’s is caused largely by the brain’s impaired response to insulin, which regulates storage of glycogen in the liver and accelerates oxidation of sugar in cells.
There is an established association between Alzheimer’s and type 2 diabetes, and those who suffer from diabetes are two to three times more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s than the general population.
But now a new component has been added to the mix.
Mail Online’s Chris Hanlona reports researchers have determined that a greater sense of purpose in life may help obviate the effects of Alzheimer’s.
According to the study leader Doctor Patricia Boyle, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago:
“Our study showed that people who reported greater purpose in life exhibited better cognition than those with less purpose in life even as plaques and tangles accumulated in their brains. These findings suggest that purpose in life protects against the harmful effects of plaques and tangles on memory and other thinking abilities. This is encouraging and suggests that engaging in meaningful and purposeful activities promotes cognitive health in old age.”
Ten Steps To Guard Against Alzheimer’s
In view of this recent study, we’ve compiled ten steps you can take to guard against Alzheimer’s.
Interesting people are interested. Find engaging new challenges and pursue them with a vengeance.
Walk a mile four times a week. Play tennis, ping-pong or go bowling. Mow the lawn. Rake leaves. Do anything that forces you to keep your body in motion.
According to a research study, individuals who eat fish, poultry, certain fruits, dark and green leafy vegetables, nuts, controlled dairy products, butter, and red meats, had lower risks of having Alzheimer’s disease.
Junk food has historically been linked to obesity and diabetes. But obesity and metabolic syndrome are also related to Alzheimer’s. Reduce fructose of all types and eliminate processed simple carbs and especially high-fructose corn syrup.
Natural News suggests avoiding aluminum cooking utensils and underarm deodorants that contain aluminum. Vaccines contain aluminum that travel into your bloodstream. Aluminum bypasses the blood brain barrier and accumulates in soft tissue cells that regenerate less often than other tissues, creating plaque.
Compelling research indicates dark chocolate — with a 70% or higher cocoa content — which contains flavonoids (a plant compound that helps with the body’s circulation), can help combat heart disease; but flavonoids may also help slow down the effects of dementia.
In an Italian study, older adults who had mild symptoms of dementia drank cocoa with high, medium and low amounts of flavonoids. Those who consumed high amounts outperformed those who consumed low doses on cognitive tests.
Researchers from the University of South Florida and University of Miami found that people older than 65 who drank three cups of coffee a day (i.e. had higher blood levels of caffeine) developed Alzheimer’s disease two to four years later than their counterparts with lower caffeine levels. Moreover, caffeine had a positive impact even in older adults who were already showing early signs of Alzheimer’s.
Another gem from Natural News. Dr. Mary Newport discovered that coconut oil contained natural MCT — metabolizing MCTs produces ketones, which dissolve brain plaques and tangles. Dr. Newport claims her husband had entered the darker side of dementia with his late stage Alzheimer’s, but after a month and a half he was almost completely recovered after consuming a tablespoon of coconut oil twice daily. (Certainly worth a try). Natural News adds that an Australian escaped the early stage of Alzheimer’s by using both coconut oil and niacin (B3), a supplement pioneered in orthomolecular psychiatry for many mental issues.
Walnuts might be small in size, but they pack a big nutritional punch. They are filled with Omega-3 fatty acids, the good kind of fat your brain needs. A study from the New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities found that mice given a diet including walnuts showed improvement in memory and motor coordination. Walnuts also contain vitamin E and flavonoids, which can help protect the brain.
A host of studies have shown that turmeric, the spice used in curries, and its main active component curcumin, can help prevent Alzheimer’s. In one such study, researchers from UCLA found that vitamin D3, taken with curcumin, may help the immune system to get rid of the amino acids that form the plaque in the brain that is associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.