Hi Readers,
Although scientists are
working to find the cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and eventually a cure and/or
preventive strategy, there is little focus on taking proactive measures to
protect our brains. At the Alzheimer’s
Association International Conference in August, Dr. Lon Schneider, professor at
the Keck School of Medicine at USC, urged a proactive approach, as one-third of
dementias can be prevented through lifestyle changes. Here are some of the recommendations:
1.
Take care of your health. The brain is connected to the rest of the
body! Maintain a healthy weight, get diagnostics on time, adhere to eating
nutritious food by making every calorie count, maintain oral health, take
medicines as prescribed, and get lots of sleep.
2.
Sitting. I covered this topic here in the AgeDoc blog
in March of 2015. Studies show that too
much sitting is actually dangerous. Not
only does it compress vital organs, but it impairs circulation. What is “too much?” Sitting for 8-12 hours is harmful, and the recommended
maximum amount daily is about 4-5 hours.
Avoid a sedentary lifestyle, exercise regularly, and take frequent
walking or standing breaks.
3.
Avoid Social Isolation. Recent studies found that social isolation is
as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day! Social isolation
increases inflammation and brain imaging showed that loneliness “causes a
reaction in the same area of the brain as physical pain” (IlluminAge, 2017, p.
2).
4.
Sleep. Older adults need
about 7-9 hours of sleep. During sleep,
the brain logs memories and experiences from the previous day and the brain is
cleaned of toxins. Sleep deprivation may
be a fall hazard and can lead to accidents.
For more information on the importance of sleep, see these articles here
in the blog: Sleeping Position and Brain
Waste Removal, 10/18/13; Sleep and
Obesity Prevention, 8/19/13; Older
Adults and Sleep Deprivation, 1/2/16.
5.
Air pollution. According to the American Heart Association,
people living in geographical regions with poor air quality score lower on
thinking and memory assessments. In
areas with high pollution, avoid exposure on days when the levels are
high. Even if you reside in an area
without any pollution, take precautions when in heavy traffic to avoid exhaust
from cars by using the “recirculate” function.
As I reported here in the blog on 11/5/2010, Environmental Threats to Health Aging, Mexico City is one of the
most polluted cities in the world.
There, autopsies of children showed plaques and tangles in their
brains. I have since learned that in
Mexico City, plaques and tangles have been identified in the brains of dogs, adolescents,
and young adults as well. While this
does not prove cause/effect, it suggests a link to pollution and brain health.
The
five listed in this posting were acquired from the September-October 2017 Aging in Stride, a publication from
IlluminAge Corporation. For the entire
list of the twelve enemies of brain health, please access this informative article:
No comments:
Post a Comment