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- What is Alzheimer's disease?
- Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
- Causes of Alzheimer's disease
- Prevention of Alzheimer's disease
- Risk factors for Alzheimer's disease
- Complications of Alzheimer's disease
- When to see a doctor about Alzheimer's disease
- Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
- Conventional treatment of Alzheimer's disease
- Alternative/complementary treatment of Alzheimer's disease
- Living with Alzheimer's disease
- Caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease
Prevention of Alzheimer's disease
There is very little that can be done to prevent any of the known risk factors that are either genetic or in some other way unpreventable, which are known to be associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease, the main ones being:
- Age - ageing of the brain and the neurons is quite unpreventable. Most people who develop Alzheimer's disease do so after age 60
- Genetics - in a small number of families, Alzheimer's disease is a hereditary disease which is due to a faulty gene (or genes)
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Ways to possibly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in the first place (or at least reducing some of the symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease):
- Alcohol in moderation - limiting alcohol consumption may help brain health in a number of ways: it reduces the number of brain cells that are killed through excessive alcohol consumption, enables better circulation and reduces risk of heart problems
- Engage your brain - keeping the brain stimulated is one key way to prevent the memory and cognition problems associated with Alzheimer's disease. The best ways to keep the brain active and young are through: learning a new skill, playing games that stimulate the mind, doing puzzles and crosswords most days
- Exercise regularly - there is a link between heart health and brain health, with good circulation being a major factor in reducing ill health to both. Regular exercise enables the circulatory system and the heart to be healthy
- Healthy ageing - research shows that keeping the brain active well into old age helps to improve brain health and may even prevent Alzheimer's disease. Activities which promote an active brain are those which stimulate the mind to think and process new information and learning a new activity is a great way to achieve this
- Healthy diet - a healthy diet for life, which consists of lots of fresh fruit (2-3 per day) and vegetables (5-7 per day), some nuts and seeds, low fat dairy, legumes, wholegrains, oily fish (especially salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout and tuna), some poultry and red meat helps to keep the brain healthy by providing lots of antioxidants which may reduce any build up of plaque in the brain
- Healthy heart - there is a link between heart health and brain health, with good circulation being a major factor in reducing ill health to both. Regular exercise enables the circulatory system and the heart to be healthy
- Stop smoking - people who smoke are putting their brain in danger, as smoking is associated with a number of health conditions, such as stroke, which may put the brain at further risk of Alzheimer's Disease
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< 3: causes 5: risk factors > Last reviewed: 7 October 2007 || Last updated: 12 March 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
