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To lower the risk of memory loss and Alzheimer's disease
~ Key Steps ~
Stay mentally active
Keep physically active
Eat a healthy diet
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Ways to Stay Mentally Active
Read newspapers, magazines, books Walk for pleasure
Write for pleasure ~ e.g., letters Go to movies or restaurants
Participate in religious activities Garden
Play board games or card games Take a class
Listen to music Go to concerts, museums, the theater
Visit with friends and relatives Run a club
Sing Travel
Play a musical instrument Volunteer
Get involved in politics "Use It or Lose It"
Any kind of active, deliberate learning seems to challenge the nervous system in uniquely fruitful ways, but it will have this effect only if it is exciting enough, and pleasing enough, to keep us motivated and engaged on an ongoing basis.... The real answer is to live life to its fullest not merely to watch television and wait for cataracts to blur the image.
Jeff Victoroff, MD. Saving Your Brain. NY: Bantam Books, 2002.
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| Ways to Keep Physically Active.
Walk, stretch, go shopping, visit friends, volunteer, swim, climb stairs, play with your grandchildren, cook dinner, garden, dance, do yoga or Tai Chi. Spend 20-30 minutes a day ~ all at once or in 10-minute increments.
What is "a Healthy Diet"?
High in: fruits and vegetables, cereals, legumes, nuts, and olive oil as your primary fat.
Moderate amounts of: fish (2-3 times a week), poultry, eggs, cheese, yogurt.
Low in: meat and meat products.
Can anything else can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease?
Yes, maintaining healthy levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body weight.
Each of these conditions can influence your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. And its a win-win approach: by maintaining healthy levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and body weight, you also lower the risk of other major chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer (see the table below).
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Alzheimer's
Disease
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Heart disease & Stroke
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Diabetes
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Cancer
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Keep mentally active
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dont smoke
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dont smoke
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dont smoke
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Stay physically active
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Stay physically active
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Stay physically active
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Stay physically active
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Eat a healthy diet
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Eat a healthy diet
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Eat a healthy diet
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Eat a healthy diet
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Maintain healthy levels of:
· body weight
· blood pressure
· cholesterol
· blood sugar
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Maintain healthy levels of:
· body weight
· blood pressure
· cholesterol
· blood sugar
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Maintain healthy levels of:
· body weight
· blood pressure
· cholesterol
· blood sugar
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Maintain healthy levels of:
· body weight
Screen for cancer risk factors.
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| What does it mean to "lower the risk" of Alzheimer's disease? A "risk factor" is something that increases our risk of developing a disease. For example, not smoking "lowers the risk" of developing lung cancer by more than 80%. But because it does not lower the risk by 100%, it is still possible to develop lung cancer due to other causes.
Some disease risk factors are modifiable, either through lifestyle choices or with the help of medications. The main lifestyle choices that lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease include staying mentally and physically active, and eating a healthy diet. The key medical conditions that lower the risk of Alzeimer's disease include maintaining healthy levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and body weight.
Some risks factors for Alzheimer's are non-modifiable. These include advancing age, family history, and genetic make-up.
The above table illustrates how taking steps to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease may also lower the risk of other major chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.
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