Can Alzheimer’s Disease Be Prevented?
Alzheimer’s is one of the most common diseases among aging adults. Hence, the only problems to worry about aren’t just aching joints and falling teeth, because Alzheimer’s is bad news that knocks on the door every year as you grow older.
While the medical industry is progressing every day, there’s still no guaranteed cure for this disease. Research has shown considerable advancement of pharmaceutical treatments but none so far have shown 100% results.
The only proven way to effectively combat Alzheimer’s is through a brain-healthy lifestyle which can help prevent this disease to a maximum.
Pillars Of Prevention
1. Exercise
As stated by the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation, physical exercise can shave off 50% chances of developing this disease. If you do the math, this means that an old person following a workout regimen has a fair chance of remaining healthy throughout their senior phase. Exercise also helps create new neural connections which can protect an aging mind against dementia.
2. Social Networking
We’re born to thrive and survive in a society and without social support; we’re nothing on our own. More importantly, our brains need to suffice the need for social engagement to function at its optimum level. If you’ve been told that investing time and effort in making friends is worthless and it doesn’t pay off, that’s not true. Connecting with people on a physical, verbal and emotional level helps you lead a healthy life later on and fights against dementia and Alzheimer’s.
3. Balanced Diet
What happens in this disease is that neurons suffer because of insulin resistance and inflammation and this in turn, impedes communication between brain cells. The relation to insulin production and absorption is a major reason why Alzheimer’s is often regarded as diabetes of the brain. Therefore, the diet plan that you should follow is one that a diabetic patient adopts.
- Less sugar
- Avoid trans fats
- More Omega-3 fats
- More fruits and vegetables
- Regular tea intake
- Homemade meals
4. Mental Stimulation
Who said that playing crosswords, Sudoku games, reading books and learning new things is only a thing for the young? In fact, our senior loved ones need such activities in their routine more than anyone else. This is because their ordinary routine lacks mental stimulation on its own (due to lack of work and studies). It’s absolutely crucial to engage in word games, memory activities, and activities that challenge the brain and raise the bar to keep motivating it to try harder. This way you’re training your brain to develop new connections which fire up brain functions and prevent Alzheimer’s.
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