5 Tips to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Exercising memory and intellectual capacity accompanied by a change in habits and the adoption of healthier ones can help delay the onset of the disease.

Reviewed and approved by the doctor Maricela Jiménez López.

Written by Carolina Betancourth

Last update: 19 December, 2022

Alzheimer’s disease progressively advances, affecting cognitive capacity and affecting the patient’s quality of life, even in simple matters such as getting dressed, remembering where an object was placed, what the person had to do, among other simple matters. But is there any way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease?

Its development is progressive and, at the moment, even though there’s no cure, there is treatment. The question is: can this disease be prevented, and what should be done to stay healthy?

Is it possible to prevent Alzheimer’s disease?

It hasn’t been possible to identify the specific cause of Alzheimer’s. However, it is believed that there are several causes., and several factors are thought to play a role in its onset.

Dr. Juebin Huang notes that Alzheimer’s is “twice as common in women as in men, partly because women have a longer life expectancy”.

Symptoms

Initially, there are small, imperceptible memory losses that can easily be ignored. Over time, these losses worsen to such an extent that the person becomes unable to perform everyday activities.

In the later stages, the patient has trouble performing intellectual activities such as speaking, understanding, reading, or writing. Some symptoms of Alzheimer’s include:

• Disorientation
• Reasoning problems
• Incomprehension of common words
• Inability to tie shoes or button a shirt
• Irritability, confusion, apathy, among other things
• Loss of short-term memory: difficult to retain new information.
• Long-term memory loss: difficult to remember personal information such as important dates, profession and even name.

How can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?

There’s currently no conclusive evidence regarding the prevention of the disease. However, it is believed that a healthy lifestyle can do a lot. On the other hand, taking care of mental health is a fundamental habit that’s highly recommended.

It is, therefore, suggested that people should maintain a lifestyle that combines exercise with healthy eating, recreation, and emotional stress management.

In addition, it’s very important to exercise both memory and intellectual function. Some of the tips to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s are:

1. Controlling vascular risk factors

Controlling the main vascular risk factors involves trying to keep levels of cholesterol, sugar, and blood pressure balanced. To do this, you can consult your doctor.

2. Modifying your lifestyle

With some lifestyle modifications you can take care of your brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Here are some guidelines:

• Diet: A healthy and balanced diet could also help in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s recommended to increase the consumption of:
  • Monounsaturated “good” foods: walnuts, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, avocados, cinnamon, or olives.
  • Polyunsaturated: omega 3 and green leafy foods.
  • Vitamin E: present in wheat germ, cereals, green leaves, nuts.
  • Vitamin B12: can be found in animal products.
  • Folic acid (Vitamin B9): present in foods such as beans, green vegetables, oranges.
  • It’s also recommended to reduce the consumption of red meat, refined foods, butter, and fats derived from dairy products.
• Physical exercise is very good for general health and is also good for preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
• Stop smoking – smoking is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. If you haven’t yet managed to quit this bad habit, we recommend that you look for alternatives to do so.
• Increase cognitive activity as it can prevent and somewhat prolong the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Numerous studies have shown that these activities are an exercise for the brain and memory.

Here are some activities that could boost cognitive function:

• Reading frequently
• Studying
• Speaking several languages
• Being more socially active
• Playing musical instruments
• Challenging yourself with intellectual games such as chess, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku, and all kinds of “thinking” board games.

Alzheimer’s disease: final comments

In summary, so far there’s no accurate way to predict whether a person will develop a type of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s very important to take risk factors into account, as they can be key in the early detection of this disease. At the moment it isn’t possible to say that its evolution can be stopped.

However, detecting it early can help greatly in improving the patient’s quality of life. We recommend that you see a specialist if you start to notice symptoms of this disease.