Simple things you can do to combat Alzheimer’s disease today
Most of us believe, rather pessimistically, that as you grow older, your brain slows down and it becomes harder to learn. Losing cognitive ability seems inevitable, sometimes even dementia is considered a natural occurrence and it is just accepted. It is true that your brain ages with your body and that certainly poses some challenges. However, new research in neuroscience is sh owing that this fatalistic mentality is misplaced – there are actually lots of ways to keep your brain healthy as you grow old, and even improve it. From mental stimulation to how drinking distilled water benefits your brain, the information is out there.
In fact, in April of 2018, Science Daily published a research called: ‘ Older adults grow just as many new brain cells as young people’. Today we take a look at five ways of combating Alzheimer which is “a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks”. – National Institute of Aging.
1. Reap the benefits of exercise
In the past, healthy living tips often pointed out that physical activity prevents heart disease, keeps your body in shape, and has a whole host of other physical benefits. Today, we know for a fact that it also plays a role in improving brain health? This phenomenon is not exclusive to young people. In ‘ A Review of the Effects of Physical Activity and Exercise on Cognitive and Brain Functions in Older Adults’ published in the National Library of Medicine we find the following statement:
“According to the Alzheimer’s Association [72], one in eight people aged 65 and older (13%) and 43% of people 85 and older have Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, research has suggested that physical activity and exercise can significantly reduce the risk of developing it.”
2. Reap the benefits of mental stimulation
You can supplement your physical exercise with mental stimulation. You must keep your brain active too through mental exercise.. Those who keep learning, playing strategy-based games, puzzles and read challenging material, are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Although school is associated with childhood or young adults, continuing to take classes throughout your life, or when you have retired will give your brain the workout it needs to stay healthy throughout your life and ward off the symptoms of dementia.
During NIH ACTIVE’s groundbreaking study, older adults received as few as 10 sessions of mental training. The results were fascinating. Not only did they improve their cognitive functioning in daily activities in the months after the training, but continued to show long-lasting improvements even 10 years later.
3. Reap the benefits of a healthy diet
Evidence shows that the Mediterranean diet, – lots of fruits and veggies, nuts, whole grains and “good” monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – keeps older adults healthier. Brain scans actually showed that those on the Mediterranean diet have more white and grey matter, so they’re more likely to have better muscle control and sharper senses.
A study conducted at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago concluded that a diet plan they developed — appropriately called the MIND diet — could reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 53 percent.
“With late-onset AD, with that older group of people, genetic risk factors are a small piece of the picture,” she said. Past studies have yielded evidence that suggests that what we eat may play a significant role in determining who gets AD and who doesn’t”. – Rush nutritional epidemiologist Martha Clare Morris, PhD
To know more about the MIND diet read the original release: New MIND Diet May Significantly Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease.
4. Reap the benefits of distilled water
Copper in your diet has been linked to Alzheimer and it is a fact that copper is amongst the many chemicals and inorganic minerals contained in tap water. Scientists now also say that when copper is combined with cholesterol, it may prevent the brain from removing protein. Consequently, this results in brain-clogging plaque associated with Alzheimer’s.
According to New Scientist, researchers experimented on rabbits who were fed a high-cholesterol diet. The scientists began to notice that the rabbits who also drank tap water with high traces of copper developed significantly more plaques than those that drank purified, distilled water. The rabbits who drank water with traces of copper were also less capable of completing difficult conditioning tasks than those who drank distilled water. The researchers concluded that ingesting traces of copper in tap water inhibits the removal of cholesterol on the brain, which may be a contributing factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The rabbits who only drank distilled water, on the other hand, performed better on all tasks and developed less plaque on the brain.
“ By drinking pure distilled water, you can help to boost your neuron activity and improve the cellular chemistry in your brain. If you consider that the brain is made up of over 80% water, it becomes clear that staying hydrated with pure water, free from harmful toxins and minerals, is key to maintaining brain functionality.” – Viafosa on the benefits of distilled water
Dementia risk in the UK is going down, a study suggests and this could be due to a better knowledge of risks and the management of disease. You can do a lot of good for yourself and your loved ones by following the tips we have shared here.
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