RSS Feed for This PostCurrent Article

Will You Get Alzheimer's?

 

67 out of every 1,000 older Americans have been diagnosed with some form of Alzheimer's. By 2050, more than 26 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer's disease.  Will you be one of them?

What can you do now to slow the onset of Alzheimer's or possibly to avoid its devastating  destruction of your brain?

Here are four tips experts believe can help you keep your brain healthy.

 1. Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and heart-healthy fats

People who do eat the "Mediterranean Diet" have a lower risk of Alzheimer's, according to studies.

This diet also includes Omega-3s, the fats found in fish oils.  Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, came to the conclusion the Omega-3 fatty acids may also  benefit those patients already in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's. Also the Framington Heart Study found possible evidence that high levels of the "good" fish fat may help you actually avoid Alzheimer's, although that is still a theory.

2. Exercise

Housework and yard work may have greater benefits than you think. 

Walking around the block could also help keep your brain  youthful. 

Researchers believe this is because even simple exercise can lower your chance of developing vascular dementia, which is the second most common form of dementia.  That  agrees with a Scottish study's findings that the more physically active a senior is during his later years, the better his memory skills.  Some scientists go even farther stating they believe exercise can actually change the physical structure of the brain.

3. Get social

The American Medical Association's Archives of General Psychiatry reports lonely people may have twice the risk of Alzheimer's.

That's possibly because social isolation, or a limited social life, may cause a person to lose social skills. Because the neural systems which control social behavior may not be exercised, the person's brain may not be able to deal with such diseases as Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.

Getting involved with others also helps you stay connected emotionally which can save you from feelings of isolation and despair.

4. Keep your mind stimulated

People who read, do crossword puzzles, attend adult education classes, or are involved in other mentally stimulating activities seem to be delaying Alzheimer's, according to more studies.

So is it really possible intellectual brain exercise can help your brain fight dementia?

Some scientists think so based on the brain's cognitive reserve.  This is the brain's ability to compensate for the loss of nerve cells often caused by Alzheimer's.

Researchers do not know for sure, but suspect keeping your brain mentally sharp can help establish new brain cell connections. Some scientists state they believe mental exercise can even help you grow new brain cells.

More Alzheimer's research needs to be done, but our knowledge about this terrible disease is increasing daily.  While we anticipate a cure, we can still keep ourselves healthy mentally, physically, and emotionally, which could possibly help us avoid Alzheimer's altogether.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Grow Old with Grace:
  • Digg
  • Technorati
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • TwitThis
  • Live
  • HelloTxt
  • Ping.fm
  • LinkedIn
  • Diigo
  • MySpace
  • FriendFeed
  • Propeller
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Print
  • email
  • PDF
  • RSS


Tags: , , ,

APA Related Posts
  • Exercising your brain keep you youngCan We Actually Stop Aging and Avoid Dementia? Is it really possible to stop aging and avoid dementia?Can we remain youthful, or is the fountain of youth still a myth?We have hope according to the experts, but that hope centers on work and discipline of our brains.If we continue to learn, explore and work our brains we can......
  • Will you get Alzheimer'sAlzheimer's Risk Gene in Families An Alzheimer's risk gene runs in families, according to Dr. Sudha  Seshadri of the Boston University School of Medicine. But that doesn't mean you will get it if you have this gene. ApoE4 is the Alzheimer's gene and about 20 to 25 percent of the population carries it. But Dr. Seshadri......
  • brain waves wheelchairsCan Brain Waves Move a Wheelchair? Your brain waves may be able to move a wheelchair, according the research going on now at Toyota Motor Corp. A person will sit in a wheelchair wearing a special cap that can pick up his brainwaves. If he wants to go forward, turn right or left, the wheelchair will......
  • What are your risks of getting Alzheimer's? Your risk of contracting Alzheimer's disease will most likely increase if  both your parents have it.During a recent study researchers found a larger percentage of children whose parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer's, also being diagnosed around age 66. Of the 111 families involved with this study, 42 percent of the offspring who were 70......
  • duck height=199 alt=Active aging is the new keyword for those of us approaching our senior years." title="duck height=199 alt="" src="http://agingparentsauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/duck.jpg" width=200/>Active aging is the new keyword for those of us approaching our senior years." border=0>Active Aging Protects Seniors from Mobility Loss Active aging is the new keyword for those of us approaching our senior years. What exactly is it and why should we care? It's physical fitness for seniors. If we exercise, even for small spurts of time (ten minutes three times a day) we can greatly prevent future mobility loss.......


APA Related Websites
  • Jogging4 Heart Healthy Exercises If you want to get on the road to a healthy and full life, you need to focus not only on losing weight, but also doing exercises that are going to benefit your most powerful organ, your heart. It may be tough at first, but it's important that you......
  • danger foodsHow to Lose Weight Over the Long Term When you first start a diet, it's easy to get all excited about the amount of weight you're losing and how great you look. Unfortunately, most of us reach our goals and then go off of our diets. Within a few months, we may be back where we started, or......
  • blog traffic exchangeHelpful Info To Consider About Keeping Your Horse Healthy During Cold Season Horses have to spend lots of time in the barns during winter. This is especially true for those who live in cold areas. When horses are in the stalls, they usually get bored really easy. Some horses begin to chew the wood, stamp their feet. Other horses become more aggressive......
  • How to lose 100 pounds, part 1 If you like this article, you can also read my article 101 thoughts on losing 100 pounds. In 2000, I weighed approximately 315 pounds. By 2006 I weighed 200, although this year I’m back up to 220 (baby fat – nothing like having a baby to ruin a diet/exercise......
  • blog traffic exchangeAlkalizing My Body pH - 30 Day Trial I've recently been doing some reading on how the pH of your body affects your health. Based on what I  read, I have decided to do a 30 day trial of alkalizing my body pH to see if it benefits me in how I feel and how I perform on......

Trackback URL

  1. 7 Comment(s)

  2. By Brennan Kingsland on Apr 18, 2008 | Reply

    Love to learn, learn to love! Sounds like a good plan to me.

    Brennan Kingsland's last blog post..Education: Too Many Tests?

  3. By Jon_H on Apr 20, 2008 | Reply

    My father jokingly calls it halfheimer's disease.

    He has had all the warning signs for 10 years but seems to be holding it back by living an active life. Volunteers 5 days a week for Goodwill and participates in church charities the other two days. Always says that living well is the best revenge.

    Jon_H's last blog post..Children Saved from HGH Thieves

  4. By Tonie on May 6, 2008 | Reply

    A lot of people give up with fear but the reality is that the body has an incredible healing system and when we feed it right, exercise regularly, reduce stress and have purpose we can overcome the worst of obstacles.

    Tonie's last blog post..Baby Boomers Are You Safe? A Deficiency In This Vitamin Can Lead To Dementia!

  5. By Tonie on May 16, 2008 | Reply

    If you are obese you have an 80% risk of getting Alzheimer's, frightening

    Tonie's last blog post..5 Risks To Your Immune System!

  6. By Rashad on Feb 13, 2009 | Reply

    So you could check out before you dementia really set in. This is in my family, and I can't stand to see people who were once bright, shining people now only a shell. I think about it a lot when I'm with my dad. I definitely don't want to be like that, and if I had some way of knowing I was going to lose it soon, I would seriously think about leaving on my own terms. Would you?

  7. By admin on Feb 13, 2009 | Reply

    Rashad,
    Dementia is terrible, but I don't think checking out is really the answer.
    New advancements are being made now and I really believe, Lord willing, we will have the answers for unlocking these terrible condition soon in our lifetimes.

  8. By Jim@SEO in SA on Oct 22, 2009 | Reply

    The thought of dementia really scares me. I know some healthy, active, intelligent people who contracted it and the results are devastating.
    Jim@SEO in SA´s last blog ..Comming clean My ComLuv Profile

Post a Comment

CommentLuv Enabled