How can these three things prevent your chances of developing an incurable disease? Currently there is no cure to Alzheimer’s disease, although researchers continue to crawl closer to a cure. While there is currently no cure, there are conscious efforts and steps you can take to lower your chances as you grow older. Three of those efforts come directly from your lifestyle: how you move, what you eat and what you do. Here’s how.
How You Move:
Exercise is very important to staying healthy, and is proven to have beneficial effects when attempting to avoid the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reviewed 19 studies that directly looked at the effect of an exercise training program on cognitive function in older adults who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or at risk for it. Over a thousand adults in their mid-to-late 70’s participated in these studies and results found that exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, helped delay loss of cognitive function.
What You Eat:
Similar to exercise, a healthy diet can directly impact your quality of life/health. Researchers continue to find many benefits in Mediterranean diets in correlation to Alzheimer’s disease, specifically the MIND diet which stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. This diet focuses on eating less of some foods like butter, red meat and fried food while eating more of:
- Leafy vegetables: Plan on six or more servings per week like kale, spinach, cooked greens, and salads.
- Nuts: Aim for five servings or more each week of a variety of nuts.
- Olive oil: Use it as your main cooking oil and as flavoring.
- Berries: Eat a serving of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries at least twice a week.
- Whole grains: Try for at least three servings daily. Choose oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and 100% whole-wheat bread.
- Fatty fish: Eat fish such as salmon, sardines, trout, and mackerel weekly.
- Beans, lentils, and soybeans: Include these in at least four meals every week.
- Poultry: Try to eat lean chicken or turkey at least twice a week.
- Red wine: Drink no more than one glass daily
What You Do:
Along with diet and exercise, your lifestyle habits also directly impact your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease later on in life. Your lifestyle actually has the greatest impact on your chances, particularly smoking, bad sleeping habits and drinking alcohol are behaviors you want to avoid.
If you or a loved one are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease you may qualify for a research study with us. To learn more about the study, fill out your information below and someone will reach out to you shortly to discuss the study in further detail.