Changes in the brain take place years before the initial signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Catching these drastic shifts in the brain at an early stage can result in the possibility of preventing or deferring memory loss along with other symptoms of dementia.
While evidence has not been fully shown just yet when it comes to the prevention of Alzheimer’s, here are three promising proactive measures that can be practiced to reduce the risk of this complex disease.
Manage Your Blood Pressure
Keeping high blood pressure under control and to a minimum is said to decrease your chances of heart disease or stroke, and it may also potentially help prevent or delay Alzheimer's. High blood pressure, especially in midlife, puts you at risk for cognitive decline down the line.
You can typically drop your blood pressure by making changes in your daily routine, including but not limited to:
- Striving for a healthy weight: Generally speaking, to keep a healthy weight, it is best to burn the exact amount of calories as you consume.
- Staying active: Moderate activity, like going for a walk or swim, can decrease high blood pressure. Create an attainable goal to work out safely and build your way up to no more than 150 minutes (2.5 hours) a week.
- Eat heart-healthy meals: Vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, dairy, and oils can bring your blood pressure down.
- Limit salt intake: The older you get, the more sensitive your body and blood pressure are to salt (sodium), which is a common addition to the vast majority of foods throughout the process or prepping. Limiting your amount of salt each day may help.
- Drink less alcohol: For those who enjoy the act of drinking, men are suggested to have two drinks at most a day and women only one a day to reduce their likelihood of high blood pressure.
- Don't smoke: If you smoke, quit while you’re ahead. The health benefits of quitting are equal no matter what age. It’s never too late to stop.
- Have proper sleeping habits: Catching proper Z’s can help to diminish blood pressure.
- Maintain stress levels: Finding healthy coping mechanisms for life’s daily battles and stressors can help keep your blood pressure from skyrocketing.
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Work Out Regularly
Staying active is beneficial to your well-being in many ways, such as limiting falls, keeping your body mobile and independent, and encouraging optimal heart health.
Not only does it minimize the risk of depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke, but also health conditions that can play a role in age-related cognitive decline.
Research has suggested that physical activity can help lower the probability of cognitive decline that comes with aging.
Train Your Brain to Stay Engaged
Evidence has recommended cognitive training as a means to help slow down age-related cognitive decline. This can involve structured activities intended to reinforce memory, logic, and the speed at which we process things.
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The benefits of cognitive training continue to be studied as a potential strategy to prevent cognitive decline as well as dementia. For the time being, BlackDoctor.Org encourages you to make healthy decisions for your lifestyle and cognitive well-being.
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What This Means For You
While Alzheimer’s does not offer simple solutions and is complicated, your best approach might just be a little bit of everything that works for you in terms of improving your quality of life. Trying to focus on carrying on a healthy lifestyle, including avoiding high blood pressure, staying fit, and eating right.
Social interactions and a strong foundation of community are other crucial factors in keeping up a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining connectedness with friends and family can support your mental well-being and help you age gracefully.
While researchers can’t confirm whether making healthy lifestyle changes will guarantee overall protection against this disease, taking these proactive measures can slim down your risk. Visit Alzheimers.gov to learn more about reducing your risk of dementia.
You also can help researchers learn more by partaking in clinical trials and studies. This can include healthy volunteers, cognitively normal individuals with a family history of Alzheimer’s, those with minor cognitive limitations, and people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. You can look up the Alzheimers.gov Clinical Trials Finder to find a local site by you.
