Alzheimer’s Risk Reduction: Nutrition & Lifestyle

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There are healthy actions people can take to improve and maintain health, no matter what conditions they may be facing.

Alzheimer’s disease is a complex disorder, for which there is currently no known prevention or cure. Although preliminary data support the benefit of some lifestyle interventions—such as physical activity and cardiovascular risk reduction—nothing at this time has definitively been shown to prevent Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.

Alzheimer’s Disease Research, a BrightFocus Foundation program, does not recommend or endorse any commercial nutritional supplement, exercise program, or cognitive training exercises for the purposes of reducing Alzheimer’s disease risk. We do encourage people to evaluate the role of these interventions on the overall health and well-being of both patients and caregivers.

Visit www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/riskreduction to learn more.

Recent findings from human studies show that how we eat and live can help lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Both large trials—the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) and Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER) in the United States—tested whether a combined lifestyle program including a healthy diet, regular physical exercise, cognitive training, and heart health management could protect brain health and slow memory decline. Results demonstrate that such multifactor interventions improve cognitive performance and protect from age-related decline, with the most benefit seen when the interventions are structured and supported.

Alzheimer’s Disease Research-funded scientist Na Zhao, MD, PhD, is uncovering how lifestyle interacts with our genes to influence brain health. Her research focuses on the APOE gene, the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s, to understand why healthy habits protect some people more than others. Insights from this work could guide personalized prevention strategies, helping people of all backgrounds take meaningful steps today to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s.

Healthy lifestyle actions you can take right now:

• Eat a varied, nutritious, and low-glycemic diet. Include foods that contain vitamins C, D, and E, omega-3 fats, and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.
• Get regular exercise and maintain a healthy weight. This will improve not only your immune system and blood pressure, but also your brain and eye health.
• Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol at normal levels. Having a cardiovascular disease could contribute to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. High LDL cholesterol is recognized as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s, especially in midlife.
• Don’t smoke. Toxins found in first-, second-, and third-hand smoke have been linked to an increased risk for developing several diseases.
• Get enough good-quality sleep, as recommended for your age group. Researchers have shown an association between poor sleep and an increased risk for mild cognitive/memory issues.
• Maintain regular check-ups with healthcare practitioners. Regular check-ups allow you and your doctor to spot early signs of memory changes, review medications, and discuss preventive steps to stay mentally sharp.
• Get your eyes checked. New evidence suggests that untreated vision loss later in life is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
• Protect from hearing loss. Studies have linked hearing loss with age as a potential risk factor for cognitive decline, which can be reduced by preventing or correcting hearing loss.
• Keep your mind active. Keeping your mind nimble will enhance your overall well-being. Check out our daily Sudoku puzzle at www.brightfocus.org/memorygames.
• Keep an active social life and strive to widen your social network. Studies have shown that having a large social network may lower the risk of developing dementia.
• Keep yourself informed. Learn about recent advances in research on preventive activities and treatments through the educational resources provided by BrightFocus Foundation.

BrightFocus strives to provide you with the most up-to-date information about health and aging research about risk factors, preventive lifestyles, available treatments, and coping strategies.

For more information, please visit our website at www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers.