Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s is primarily a disease of affluence. Like the health conditions that usually precede it, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, AD is largely the result of a lifetime of poor diet and insufficient physical activity.
Incidence
More than 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s. One out of every eight people over 65 has the disease. And for those over 85, it’s almost one out of every two.
When baby boomers reach 65 in 2011, these numbers will skyrocket as the incidence of Alzheimer’s is doubling every 20 years. Numbers of victims have been rapidly escalating since the 1970’s, coinciding with the rapid take-off of the fast food industry.
Devastating Dementia
AD impairs language, perception, planning skills, and reasoning as well as memory. Forgetting where you laid your comb doesn’t mean you have AD, but not remembering what a comb is for, does! Although most adults begin to notice memory lapses in their 40’s and 50’s, scientists believe the neurological changes of Alzheimer’s typically begin much earlier.
Risk Factors
Many of the same things that increase your risk of heart disease also increase your risk of dementia. The main players appear to be blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Having diabetes makes you twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
Staying active - physically, mentally, and socially - also appears to reduce risk. Other factors include brain injury, stress, substance abuse, and poor diet. Chronic stress can double or quadruple your risk, depending on its severity and duration.
Obesity in midlife makes you 3 1/2 times more likely to experience AD. While everyone loses some brain tissue with aging, overweight individuals have 4% less than those who maintain a healthy weight, and obese people have 8% less. These losses occur in areas of the brain responsible for decision-making and memory.
This is the first of a three-part article. References are listed at the end of More AD Prevention Strategies.
