Watch Out For False Alzheimers Cures
Although you might see commercials or online advertisements for products promising to improve brain health and prevent dementia, be cautious about such products. There currently is no product that will effectively prevent or treat Alzheimers or related dementias. Check with your doctor before trying any new medication or supplement.
Dementia Risk Factors That You Can’t Change To Prevent Dementia
Unfortunately, only 35% of dementia risk factors are things that we can change with our day-to-day living. These are the so called modifiable risk factors. That means that 65% of risk factors are out of our hands. These unmodifiable risk factors are things that we cant change. Having anyone of the following factors doesnt mean that someone will definitely get dementia, only that they have an increased risk of getting it.
Early Warning Signs Of Alzheimers And When You Should See Your Doctor
As you get older, its incredibly normal to experience some minor forgetfulness. Unfortunately, Alzheimers develops in your brain long before symptoms ever appear, and those symptoms tend to set in slowly over long periods of time rather than all at once. The key here is recognizing how often youre having lapses in judgment and how serious of a situation it might be.
One really easy example? Maybe one time you lose your keys. That could just be a blip that could happen at any age or simply be a fluke, right? On the other hand, if you lose your keys every day, if you lose your keys and never find them, the frequency and severity of that situation is a sign something is happening to disrupt your life, explains Dr. Caldwell.
Other early signs may include:
- Forgetting important events like birthdays or anniversaries.
- Being unable to recall recent conversations or experiences.
- Often not remembering specific details correctly.
- Frequent difficulty coming up with words.
- Forgetting the name of an extended family member or long-distance friend.
If youre worried you may be experiencing early signs of Alzheimers, or youre unsure if its simple forgetfulness or a serious problem, Dr. Caldwell suggests seeking advice from your trusted healthcare provider.
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Can You Prevent Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimerâs is one of the diseases people most want to avoid, and for good reason. There is no proven way to prevent it. But thereâs a lot you can do to lower your chance of getting it.
Doctors donât know exactly why the disease strikes some people and not others, why it gets worse over the years, or how to cure it. And because they donât know the answers to these questions, they also arenât totally sure how to treat it.
Itâs true that Alzheimerâs becomes more common with age. But itâs not a normal part of getting older. Itâs also true that some gene glitches make you more likely to get it.
You canât control aging or your genes, but that doesnât mean you canât do anything about the disease. In fact, the same things that are good for your heart — and the rest of your body — could also help you make Alzheimerâs disease less likely. And a lot of it comes down to simple things you do every day.
Manage your numbers. Do you know if your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol are too high? Research shows strong connections between Alzheimerâs and conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. A lot of people donât know that they have these conditions. A checkup could let you know. And you and your doctor can work to manage any health problems you have.
Donât smoke. Avoid all forms of tobacco.
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Alzheimerâs Association: âRisk Factors.â
Look After Your Heart
Research shows that people who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or are obese, particularly around middle age, have a greater risk of developing dementia later in life. Leaving these conditions untreated can lead to damaged blood vessels in the brain, which in turn damages brain cells and leads to impaired thinking functions.
Although there are no guarantees that keeping your heart healthy will prevent dementia, you will give yourself the best chance of avoiding or delaying dementia.
Promisingly, studies have shown that the treatment of high blood pressure reduces that risk. Other studies indicate that treating high cholesterol and diabetes may also reduce the risk of developing dementia, although more research is needed in this area.
It is recommended you have regular check-ups to assess your:
To reduce your risk of dementia, you should have regular check-ups with your doctor, especially at midlife, and always follow the advice of your doctor.
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Enjoy A Brain Healthy Diet
Research suggests the foods that are good for your heart and body may also be good for brain health and protect against dementia. Australian dietary guidelines provide advice about what to include, and avoid, in your healthy diet.
Based on current evidence, nutritionists recommend that you:
- Eat a variety of foods, including fruits and vegetables, to ensure adequate nutrient intake.
- Reduce your intake of saturated fats by choosing fish, lean red meat, chicken without skin and reduced-fat dairy products. Limit butter, deep fried foods, pastries, cakes and biscuits.
- Choose unsaturated fats such as olive, canola, sunflower and safflower oils.
- Consider including foods rich in omega-3 fats in your diet, such as soy, canola and flaxseed oils, and fish.
Focus On Heart Health
To lower your risk of Alzheimers, its also important to control cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If you have diabetes, its important to manage your disease carefully.
Making sure these risk factors are under control has yielded better outcomes in terms of reducing the rate of developing Alzheimers symptoms, says Dr. Marshall.
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Keep On Top Of Your Health
Depression, hearing loss and even low levels of sleep have all been linked to a greater incidence of dementia , so getting control of these as they occur can reduce the risk of developing dementia in later life. Blood pressure, cholesterol and weight are also important to maintain at a healthy level as you get older. Regularly having check ups as you get older can also help spot any issues as soon as they present, often improving the outcome, even in dementia.
If you think that mum, dad or a close elderly relative is showing early signs of dementia it is definitely worth exploring a lasting power of attorney sooner rather than later.
What Can You Do
Although there is no effective treatment or proven prevention for Alzheimers and related dementias, in general, leading a healthy lifestyle may help address risk factors that have been associated with these diseases.
Researchers cannot say for certain whether making the above lifestyle changes will protect against dementia, but these changes are good for your health and are all part of making healthy choices as you age.
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How Alzheimers Affects Women Differently
Its not exactly clear why women are more affected by Alzheimers than men, but there may be several factors at play. According to Dr. Caldwell, women tend to decline faster than men after receiving a diagnosis for Alzheimers. Women typically live longer than men, too, and while the No. 1 risk factor for Alzheimers is aging, that may not be the whole story.
Some of the reasons might be artifacts of our diagnostic systems, says Dr. Caldwell. For example, we know women tend to have better verbal memory than men, and our tests rely on verbal memory. So, it is possible that women dont get diagnosed as early because our tests miss those important verbal memory changes.
In addition, menopause and estrogen loss are a huge area of investigation for Alzheimers because estrogen supports an area of the brain responsible for forming new memories. Its this part of the brain thats first targeted when Alzheimers develops, so as women age, they may be even more affected. Plus, women have a greater increase in Alzheimers risk, compared to men, when they carry a gene associated with late-onset Alzheimers. But on the other hand, there is a line of research that suggests having two X-chromosomes might put women at an advantage.
Theres not a simple, straightforward story, says Dr. Caldwell. We are going to have to look at Alzheimers as involving our genetics, our environment as well as our own behaviors.
The Relationship Between Poor Sleep And Alzheimers Disease
Studies have show that individuals who sleep poorly may have a higher accumulation of amyloid in their brain, which is associated with Alzheimers disease and may, in fact, be causative.
Early findings suggest that getting a good nights sleep may have a protective effect on the brain.
For tips on how to sleep better, watch this video with Stuart F. Quan, MD, Clinical Director of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disorders at the Brigham.
Early findings suggest that getting a good nights sleep may have a protective effect on the brain.
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What Is A Risk Factor
A risk factor is something that increases your chances of developing a condition like dementia. Some of these, like our age and genetics, we cant change.
However, research suggests that up to 40% of cases of dementia are linked to modifiable factors we can influence ourselves.
For those who would like to improve their brain health, here we look at some of the changes we can make to keep our brains healthy and to reduce our risk of developing dementia.
Can Controlling High Blood Pressure Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Controlling high blood pressure is known to reduce a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke. The NASEM committee of experts concluded that managing blood pressure when it’s high, particularly for middle-aged adults, also might help prevent or delay Alzheimer’s dementia.
Many types of studies show a connection between high blood pressure, cerebrovascular disease , and dementia. For example, it’s common for people with Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain to also have signs of vascular damage in the brain, autopsy studies show. In addition, observational studies have found that high blood pressure in middle age, along with other cerebrovascular risk factors such as diabetes and smoking, increase the risk of developing dementia.
Clinical trialsthe gold standard of medical proofare underway to determine whether managing high blood pressure in individuals with hypertension can prevent Alzheimer’s dementia or cognitive decline.
One large clinical trialcalled SPRINT-MIND found that lowering systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mmHg, compared to a target of less than 140 mmHg, did not significantly reduce the risk of dementia. Participants were adults age 50 and older who were at high risk of cardiovascular disease but had no history of stroke or diabetes.
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World Health Organization Guidelines
These WHO Guidelines, published in May 2019, provide the knowledge base for health-care providers to advise people on what they can do to reduce their risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
The reduction of risk factors for dementia is one of several areas of action included in WHOs Global action plan for the public health response to dementia.
Lifestyle Plays A Key Role
Healthy lifestyle choices can also help you guard against developing Alzheimers disease.
A study funded by the National Institute on Aging and published in Neurology in 2020 found that combining more healthy lifestyle choices can reduce a persons risk of developing Alzheimers disease. According to data collected from more than 3,000 research participants, those who adhered to at least four of five specified lifestyle behaviors had a 60% lower risk of developing Alzheimers.
The specified lifestyle behaviors included:
Are you exercising your body and your brain? Do you smoke or consume an excessive amount of alcohol? What about your diet? By making healthy lifestyle choices, you can significantly decrease your Alzheimers risk. There are no guarantees, but concentrating on these areas could be life-changing for you and your family.
Most of us dont have an active role in curing Alzheimers disease, but taking steps to reduce our risk is in our hands.
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Increase Your Social Engagement
Compelling research suggests seniors who spend most of their time in their immediate home environment are almost twice as likely to develop AD compared to those who travel more. These findings, however, may also reflect the general health of the individuals.
The Mayo Clinic advises that being engaged with your surroundings is good for your mental, physical, and emotional health.
How Did The Study Proceed
The study used data from the UK Biobank. The 78,430 participants, of whom 44.7% were male and 55.3% female, had a mean age of 61.1 years. All participants were free of cardiovascular disease and dementia when they enrolled in the study. Researchers followed up with participants after a median of 6.9 years .
For the study, participants had to wear an accelerometer on their dominant wrist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to measure physical activity. The researchers then used an algorithm to work out the step count from the data collected by the accelerometer.
The researchers controlled for variables such as age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, smoking, overall health, and diet when analyzing the data.
At follow-up, 866 participants, or 1.1%, had developed dementia.
While welcoming the study findings, Dr. Claire Sexton, Alzheimers Association senior director of scientific programs and outreach, who was not involved in the study, told MNT:
There are a few important caveats of this study. The population sampled was majority white, and therefore may not be generalizable to other race/ ethnic groups. This study also does not demonstrate definitive causation between step count and dementia risk therefore, more research is needed.
The Alzheimers Association is conducting a clinical trial combining exercise with other lifestyle factors, like diet and social/ cognitive engagement, to determine if these factors in combination reduce risk of cognitive decline, she added.
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Whats Next With Dementia Prevention Research
More research is needed to find ways to help prevent Alzheimers and related dementias. Future research may determine that specific interventions are needed to prevent or delay the disease in some people, but others may need a combination of treatments based on their individual risk factors. Understanding risk factors and choices you can make now is important for both your present and future health. In addition to this website, consider the resources listed below to learn more.
You can also help researchers learn more about preventing dementia by participating in clinical trials and studies. Search the to find studies that need volunteers.
Keeping Your Mind Active
Research has found that that regularly challenging your brain and staying mentally active can help protect our brain health as we age, lowering our risk of memory and thinking problems. Researchers think that mental activity helps to build your cognitive reserve. This is your brains ability to cope and keep working, even in the face of damage from diseases like Alzheimers.
Its not clear which activities may be most beneficial but regularly doing things you enjoy, whether thats reading, crosswords, singing or playing an instrument, will help to keep you mentally active.
Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to a higher risk of dementia, although research is still ongoing to understand why this relationship exists. Keeping socially active by spending time with other people or joining clubs can be a good way to feel happier, and more positive in life, and to look after our brain health.
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Tips For Stopping Smoking
- Talk to your GP or pharmacist about different ways to stop smoking.
- Try using a date or event as motivation for stopping. For example, you could make it a new years resolution.
- Consider using a less harmful nicotine product such as e-cigarettes , lozenges, patches, mouth and nasal sprays, or gum.
- Try using NHS Smokefree support services, which include a helpline, app and local support services.
Icipate In Clinical Trials
The Center for Alzheimers Research and Treatment at the Brigham conducts studies to learn about various risk factors for Alzheimers disease.
The Center also runs treatment studies that examine the use of interventions that may prevent Alzheimers or treat existing symptoms. Learn more or enroll in a clinical trial.
For general information and resources on Alzheimers disease, visit the resources hub.
In this video, Gad A. Marshall, MD, Associate Medical Director of Clinical Trials in the Memory Disorders Unit at the Brigham, discusses steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing Alzheimers disease.
Gad A. Marshall, MD, Associate Medical Director of Clinical Trials, Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Womens Hospital .
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Women And Alzheimers Risk
Women are about twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimers disease. Researchers believe this higher risk can be linked to a decrease in fertility and the onset of menopause in middle age. As a woman, the drop in estrogen not only triggers symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, but it can also affect your brain. Since estrogen protects brain cells from aging, a large decrease during menopause may make you more vulnerable to Alzheimers later in life.
Hormone replacement therapy can carry risks, but theres evidence to suggest that taking supplemental estrogen before menopause may help lower your chances of developing dementia. Using the seven pillars in middle age can also be beneficial, especially adopting a healthy diet. Eating foods rich in antioxidants such as fruit, leafy green vegetables, and nuts may help protect your brain, while flaxseeds, soy, nuts, red wine, and fruits such as strawberries, peaches, and apricots can help naturally boost estrogen levels.
While research into the menopause-Alzheimers link is still at an early stage, the more preventative steps you can start taking in your 40s and 50sor even earlierthe more youll lower your risk of developing Alzheimers as you age.