There are 5.5 million patients in the United States who have Alzheimer’s Disease. The United States spends $259 Billion on health care for those patients currently, and drug companies are spending a fortune trying to find a treatment.
Current treatments have not shown significant response, though some medications offer some help for those afflicted.
Are there ways you can PREVENT Alzheimer’s disease? There is a genetic component to the disease, but some measures have been shown effective at preventing Alzheimer’s dementia:
- Studies have shown that people who pursue intellectual activities such as reading, playing board games, puzzles, learning a second language, or playing musical instruments have reduced risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Increased social interaction reduces Alzheimer’s risk.
- Moderate red wine use is associated with lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
- Increased physical activity has been shown to decrease the rate of Alzheimer’s dementia.
- Another thing that can prevent Alzheimers Disease is eating nuts! One study found that young adults who ate half a cup of walnuts for 8 weeks had improved reasoning and ability to draw conclusions.
One study in particular is fascinating! A study by researcher Peter Elwood at the Cochrane Institute of Primary Care studied 2,235 men age 45-59, and followed them for 30 years.
They found that those patients who did a few things reduced their risk of dementia by 60%! This included eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a body mass index from 18-25, not smoking, and walking 2 miles a day.
If there was a drug on the market that we knew would reduce our risk of Alzheimer’s by 60%, we would all pay a lot of money to take it!
