Alzheimer’s is a multifaceted disease with many risk factors, including two, age and inherited genes, which are beyond our control. Even so, most of the key determinants of lifelong brain health are modifiable, and by following these steps, you can maintain a strong and sharp mind for a century or more.
- Tend a garden, walk your dog. Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies. It’s hard to think anything but pleasant thoughts when eating a homegrown tomato. And one of the many reasons I love my dogs is that I have always-eager partners who make me feel guilty if I don’t take them out for a walk or jog to get some fresh air at least once a day.
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Walking with your dog and gardening are two of the best ways to cultivate robust physical fitness and mental well-being. Staying very physically active lowers the chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease by a whopping 50 percent. Studies show that vigorous exercise raises BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which is like Miracle-Gro for the brain, stimulating new connections and enabling new learning.Each week I try to include cardio exercise, strength training (like weight lifting), and balance/breathing work such as yoga and Tai Chi. Gardening is an ideal cross-training exercise that improves fitness, balance, and strength. Vegetables and flowers that you grow yourself improve your health and well-being, even if they never make it to your table.
cardiotabs - Avoid added sugar and white flour. Experts sometimes refer to Alzheimer’s as “diabetes of the brain,” and a growing body of evidence shows that blood spikes in glucose and triglycerides trigger inflammation and damage neurons.Even in people without diabetes, these spikes occur after consuming large, calorie-rich meals, high in processed foods and sweet drinks. This inflames your brain and shorts out connections between neurons, eventually leading to dementia.
cardiotabs - Savor a Mediterranean diet. Let’s be clear, this does not mean binge eating pizza and pasta. Rather, this is an eating style centered around vegetables, nuts, fish, beans and olive oil; choose fruit (berries are ideal) for dessert. Consume only modest amounts of dairy and meat, and avoid processed foods. Unsweetened yogurt is the best form of dairy.
cardiotabs - Protect your brain. Head trauma at any time during one’s life can increase the risk for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. This can increase risk whether it’s due to serious injuries or concussions from cycling, skating, skiing, or motor vehicle accidents, or repeated hits to the head from sports like diving, boxing, football, and soccer. Make it a priority to protect your brain by wearing helmets and seatbelts; and avoid multi-tasking, such as using your mobile phone when doing activities that carry the risk of falls or injury.
cardiotabs - Infuse your diet with color. The top superfoods are colorful fruits and vegetables; especially those with bright colors and dark hues. Each day consume a rainbow of the color spectrum: ruby red tomatoes, orange carrots, pink grapefruit, leafy greens, blueberries, red strawberries and raspberries, blackberries, and yellow lemons. My wife, Joan, says that for each of your three daily meals, you should choose two or three colors and a protein. Skip the starch and grains.
cardiotabs - Get addicted to coffee and tea. Over the past year, I have been working with some of the world’s top experts in nutrition as we re-write the American College of Cardiology dietary guidelines. The growing consensus is that cof fee is uniquely protective against neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and also helps to prevent depression—regular coffee drinkers slash their suicide rate by about one-third compared to non-coffee drinkers.
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I was so impressed that I’ve made a point of adding two or three cups of brewed black coffee to my morning routine, and then drinking my green tea in the afternoon and evening. Even the tendency for coffee and tea to promote dependence can be an asset; the headache and sluggishness will remind you when you forget your morning caffeine fix.
cardiotabs - Consider supplements. Fish oil (1,000 mg/day of DHA + EPA) may promote long-term brain health.* On the other hand, vitamin E, ginkgo Biloba, vitamin C, and turmeric have yielded less impressive results in clinical trials to date.
cardiotabs - Sleep eight hours per night. Let me be more explicit here: get to bed by about 10 p.m. and awaken before 7 a.m. The first step in changing anything is measuring it: get an activity monitor that tracks your sleep and your steps.The first half of the night is for deep stage 4 sleep during which glymphatic channels open up and watery fluid flushes away the debris and smoke that accumulated in your brain during the day.
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The second four-hour segment is for REM sleep and dreaming. This is when your mind consolidates new memories and deletes unneeded info like where you parked your car while you were shopping earlier in the day.
cardiotabs - Take the road less traveled. People who continue to learn new things throughout life and challenge their minds are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.Remember, “use it or lose it” applies to your brain as much as to your sex life. Develop new skills, learn a foreign language, practice a musical instrument, take up a new hobby, and read books or listen to audiobooks rather than watch TV. The more the novelty and the harder the mental challenge, the greater the boost in your brain reserves.Discover new routes, use your non-dominant hand to eat and brush your teeth. Download new apps and use them. By varying your routine, you will create new brain pathways.
cardiotabs - Nurture your sense of humor. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing improves your mental well-being and your physical health. Don’t take yourself so seriously, nobody else does.
cardiotabs - Avoid substance abuse. Don’t smoke; tobacco use almost doubles your odds of Alzheimer’s. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Red wine is best, but not more than one 6-ounce glass/day for women and not more than two glasses/day for men. Be careful, heavy drinking increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and accelerates aging of the brain.
cardiotabs - Make sure your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers are good. Uncontrolled high blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia (from strokes). Getting your blood pressure and lipid levels into the ideal range is great for keeping your brain youthful and your heart strong.
cardiotabs - Manage your weight. Excess body fat, particularly around your midsection, is a risk factor for dementia. A study of 10,000 people followed for over 30 years reported that those who were overweight during midlife were twice as likely to eventually develop Alzheimer’s; while obese people had three times the risk. Aim to keep your waist measurement less than half your height in inches.
In Good Health,
James O'Keefe, MD
Photo Credit: Creative Commons Pixabay