{"id":2730,"date":"2018-07-30T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T13:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aparadiseforparents.com\/?p=2730"},"modified":"2024-04-09T02:09:06","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T09:09:06","slug":"how-to-prevent-alzheimers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aparadiseforparents.com\/how-to-prevent-alzheimers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prevent Alzheimer’s? Here are 24 Ways"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you’re young, you don’t really think about Alzheimer’s. The trouble is that the best way to prevent Alzheimer’s is to start when you’re young. In this article we want to show you how to prevent Alzheimer’s. These methods are no guarantee. But these ways to prevent Alzheimer’s might just give you a better future. Want to know why you want to prevent Alzheimer’s? Take a look at this video:<\/p>\n

The statistics and forecasts for how many people will suffer from Alzheimer’s are staggering. Take a look at these facts from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America<\/a>. As a nation we need to find ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. Or at least slow it down:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We see it every day in our assisted living homes. At A Paradise for Parents<\/a>, \u00a0about 2\/3 of our residents suffer from some form of Dementia or Alzheimer’s. In fact, we have one home<\/a> that specializes in memory care.<\/p>\n

We want to do everything we can to help families cope with this horrible condition. We’ve compiled 23 things you can do to lower your chances, or hopefully prevent Alzheimer’s.<\/p>\n

If you have a family member already suffering from Alzheimer’s, many of these techniques will also help slow it down.<\/p>\n

Dietary Methods to Prevent Alzheimer’s<\/h2>\n

The number 1 form of Alzheimer’s prevention seems to be diet. Here are some choices you can make that can really help:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Cut Out Carbohydrates<\/strong>\u00a0– Although it seems very fashionable to say it these days, low-carb diets seem to make a big difference in preventing Alzheimer’s. According to Dr. David Perlmutter, author of the NY Times best seller, Grain Brain<\/em><\/a>:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    “[Alzheimer’s] is a preventable disease. It surprises me at my core that no one’s talking about the fact that so many of these devastating neurological problems are, in fact, modifiable based upon lifestyle choices\u2026\u00a0<\/em>What we’ve crystallized it down to now, in essence, is that diets that are high in sugar and carbohydrates, and similarly diets that are low in fat, are devastating to the brain.<\/em>When you have a diet that has carbohydrates in it, you are paving the way for Alzheimer’s disease. I want to be super clear about that. Dietary carbohydrates lead to Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a pretty profound statement, but it’s empowering nonetheless when we realize that we control our diet. We control our choices, whether to favor fat or carbohydrates.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Cut Out Sugar<\/strong> – I’m sure a lot of people don’t want to hear this one. That’s because so many of us are addicted to sugar. Yet at least one study<\/a>\u00a0of 5,189 people over 10 years showed higher sugar is directly correlated to higher rates of cognitive decline.<\/li>\n
    2. Stop Eating for Certain Periods<\/strong> – The cool kids call it ‘intermittent fasting’. Try skipping a meal every so often. If you eat lunch around noon, don’t eat again until breakfast the next morning. There’s a reason they call it ‘break – fast’.
      \nFasting causes your body to stop burning carbs and start burning fat. In       one study<\/a>, they found burning fat helps to lessen the Amyloid-Beta plaque build up in your brain that contributes to Alzheimer’s.<\/li>\n
    3. Eat Lots of Saturated Fats<\/strong> – People used to think all fats are bad for you. Now we are learning how important saturated fats can be for brain health. This doesn’t mean eat a lot of meat. It means eating foods such as the ones below:\n
        \n
      1. Avocados<\/li>\n
      2. Coconuts and coconut oil<\/li>\n
      3. Unheated organic nut oils<\/li>\n
      4. Raw nuts such as pecan and macadamia<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        You can see a summary of all the studies linking saturated fat to brain health here:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Avoid Trans Fats<\/strong> – Foods such as margarines, vegetable oil, canola oil, corn oil, and butter-like spreads are full of trans fats. So are most processed foods. A lot of these fats are associated with higher levels of cholesterol. A study<\/a> of 444 Finnish men found that higher cholesterol tripled your risk of Alzheimer’s.<\/li>\n
        2. Eat Coconut and MCT Oil<\/strong> – Dr. Mary Newport was trained in Pediatrics and Neonatology (care of newborns). Then her husband started showing signs of Alzheimer’s. She suddenly had to become an expert in older people.
          \nWhen she researched the latest Alzheimer’s medicine, she found many of the them contained a similar ingredient, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). That same ingredient could be found in coconut and, you guessed it, MCT oil. So she started feeding coconut oil to her husband multiple times a day. The result? A dramatic reduction of her husband’s symptoms.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0It is thought that coconut and MCT oils work so well because the body can instantly make ketones out of them. The Ketones can penetrate the Amyloid-Beta plaques in the brain and provide energy to the cells.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. Eat Less Meat<\/strong> – One theory about Alzheimer’s is that too much iron in the brain causes oxidative stress and destroys nerve cells.\u00a0Researchers from the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA reported<\/a>\u00a0their study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. \u00a0<\/em>They found\u00a0that iron build up in the hippocampus (part of the brain associated with emotion and learning) happened early on in Alzheimer’s patients.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

             <\/p>\n

            The author’s concluded:<\/p>\n

            “The data shows that in AD, Hipp damage occurs in conjunction with ferritin iron accumulation. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate how increasing iron levels may influence the trajectory of tissue damage and cognitive and pathologic manifestations of AD.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

              \n
            1. Eat Lots of Vegetables<\/strong> – The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging performed a study with 579 elderly, non-dementia volunteers over 9.3 years. Those who had greater intakes of Folates, Vitamin E and Vitamin B6 had a much decreased risk of Alzheimer’s. All of those vitamins are found in green, leafy vegetables.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

               <\/p>\n

              Avoid Folate supplements which do not help with your risk factors for Alzheimer’s nearly as much.<\/p>\n

              How Exercise Can Help Prevent Alzheimer’s<\/h2>\n

              Disclaimer<\/strong>: Make sure to check with your Doctor before beginning any workout program – especially if you are older or haven’t exercised in a while.<\/p>\n

              Just like a good diet, everyone knows that exercise is good for you. However researchers are finding that exercise specifically helps prevent brain problems.<\/p>\n

              How? Exercise affects three main chemicals involved in keeping you mentally sharp. The links are to pretty technical articles. I’m not sure if you want to read them. They just back up the claims I’m making with Science:<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor<\/a> (BDNF) – A chemical in the brain that participates in neuroplasticity – a fancy way of saying how the brain creates new connections, as in when the brain is learning something new. Alzheimer’s causes a big drop in neuroplasticity.<\/li>\n
              2. Peroxisome Proliferator-activated receptor Gamma coactivator<\/a> (PGC-1\u03b1) –\u00a0PGC-1\u03b1 helps the mitochondria in your cells recreate themselves. Mitochondria are the batteries for your cells and create energy. The biggest concentration of mitochondria are in your brain. As you age, the mitochondria take a beating. The lower energy means your cells don’t function as well.\u00a0PGC-1\u03b1 will slow this process<\/li>\n
              3. Cytochrome C Oxidase<\/a> (CCO) \u00a0– Similar to\u00a0PGC-1\u03b1, CCO helps to improve energy production in the mitochondria. Unlike the first two chemicals which are greatly enhanced through exercise, CCO is enhanced through sun exposure. Vitamin D really helps your body produce CCO, and the best source of Vitamin D is the sun. So it just makes sense to get outside and exercise!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Types of Exercises to Prevent Alzheimer’s<\/h2>\n

                Turns out practically any type of exercise helps prevent Alzheimer’s. Let’s continue our list of ways to prevent Alzheimer’s with a few different types:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. \n
                    \n
                  1. Aerobic Exercise\u00a0<\/strong>– Turns out any type of aerobic exercise can help stimulate your body to make more BDNF and\u00a0PGC-1\u03b1. And it’s the easiest type to do outside where you can build up more CCO. Some examples could be as simple as:\n