Fuel Your Brain, Or Lose Your Brain!!!

-How your brain diet can reduce the risk of Dementia

According to the Alzheimer’s association, “Everyone with a brain is at risk for Alzheimer’s”. http://www.alz.org

There are various other types of Dementia including vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, just to name a few. The most common, however, is Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. These numbers are quite alarming to say the least. With the odds being out of our favor, how can we be a part of the very few who escape the wrath of this beast?

Let us begin by analyzing the factors leading to Alzheimer’s disease in the first place.

The main risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are age and history of the disease in your family. 1 in 9 people aged 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease. Certain genes that we are BORN WITH may increase our risk as well. There is not much we can do to slow down the aging process. We also cannot help the familial lineage we ended up being a part of or the pieces that make up our bodies. (Developing Alzheimer’s is surely not the only thing that makes this unfortunate). These are the very factors that make it so difficult for scientists worldwide to find preventative methods against Alzheimer’s disease.

Even knowing that the major risk factors for Alzheimer’s are things we cannot help or prevent, do not be discouraged and think that we’re all destined for doom.

There have been recent revelations of other, controllable risk factors for Alzheimer’s. These factors include overall lifestyle and wellness management. These are things that are in our own control. Some examples of these controllable factors include head trauma, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cholesterol, and diabetes. Whether or not you exercise your body and brain regularly can determine your risk of developing Alzheimer’s as well.

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_causes_risk_factors.asp

How can you maximize on the factors that ARE in your control?

Maintaining heart health, practicing safety precautions in all activities, and engaging in activities that stimulate your brain can ultimately reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Regular exercise that includes about 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise is recommended to keep our hearts in the best condition possible. This can be done at the gym like most of us imagine doing every day or even when while walking your dog. Safety measures such as wearing a seatbelt can reduce our risk of head trauma, one of the main factors leading to Alzheimer’s. Avoiding aggressive activities that can cause head trauma such as tackle football, wrestling, or even a head butt with a fellow fan in the bleachers can also reduce our risk. Last but not least, engaging in activities that stimulate our brains such as those that require recall or jogging our memories can be helpful in our prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/10/15/brain-exercises_n_1966861.html)

So, don’t be discouraged by the rap sheet of this beast that has haunted us for generations upon generations. There is hope for the future of Alzheimer’s research and the hope to reduce the number of cases worldwide. We can take control of our future. All we need is a little willpower and a few changes to our lifestyle.

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