Alzheimer's disease, a doctor's perspective

It is believed that one out of every eight people aged 65 and older are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. By 2030 that number is forecast to increase to one in every five, and its resulting impact extends to millions of families and children of those living with the disease.

Unfortunately, science has not yet found a way to “cure” Alzheimer’s, and several clinical trials of medications have failed to improve memory and other thinking skills in people diagnosed with it, making prevention even more important for you.

The good news is, dozens of clinical trials and thousands of hours of research at major scientific institutions worldwide are currently dedicated to finding the best strategies for prevention, and OMEGA Brain Health & Nutrition is actively engaged with all of this research to ensure we are constantly giving you the most up-to-date, valuable information for YOUR health.

Even better news, science is starting to identify several areas suspected to be most promising, particularly for prevention.

To reduce your risks of being impacted by this devastating disease, we currently recommend focusing in the following key areas: keep a healthy, active brain, listen to music or sing, measure, measure, measure, eat the right foods and exercise daily.

Keep a healthy, active brain

It turns out, being bored really is bad for you!

Keeping “cognitively active,” as the scientists like to call it, can be summed up in much friendlier and much more fun ways. Be more social and interact more with your friends, at work, volunteering, or anywhere else that creates a sense of connection or community. Read more books and magazines and play more games, particularly puzzle games like crossword puzzles or similar that stimulate your intellect. Visit museums, take up a new hobby, or learn new things.

According to the National Institute of Health, one large observational study suggests that healthy, active activities such as these lowered the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease on average by 47 percent.

Listen to music or sing!

According to the Mayo Clinic, “research suggests that listening to or singing music can provide emotional and behavioral benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.” Listening to, or performing music can be a delightful way to stimulate your brain and contribute to your ongoing brain health. We are keeping an active eye on current studies that may further suggest the power of music related to Alzheimer’s prevention and brain health. Music and singing can help reduce stress, reduce anxiety and depression and reduces agitation.

Measure, measure, measure

Did you know we now have a way to measure brain health? It is now possible to measure focus, attention, memory, processing speed, cognitive flexibility and structural brain health biomarkers. This means anyone can perform a baseline measurement then check it periodically after taking advantage of the other tips and tricks I recommend in this article. Testing allows the patient to literally see the changes they can make to their own brain and ensure they are doing their best to prevent Alzheimer’s.

Eat the right foods

Unless you’ve bee hibernating with industrial-strength earplugs in a cave for the last several years, you’ve probably been hearing an increasing amount of information about new discoveries related to food and health. It turns out, the answers aren’t as simple and obvious as the latest fad diets would have you believe.

What we are starting to learn from the latest evidence-based research studies is that specific fatty acids are critical to a healthy nervous system, there are fats we need more of, and there are fats we should avoid, some vitamins may contribute to reduced risk, excessive carbohydrates and sugars may contribute to increased risk and resveratrol, found in red grapes and supplements, may help protect the brain.

A good rule of thumb that most seem to agree on is to eat more vegetables, specifically green leafy and cruciferous vegetables, enjoy fruits in moderation (berries containing anthocyanosides can be beneficial), increase the good fats, reduce the bad fats, reduce the number of grains and simple carbohydrates, stop smoking, and limit alcohol and caffeine.

Exercise daily

We all know it: moderate daily exercise can help prevent a multitude of disease, and it’s the same thing when it comes to brain health. Research suggests that consistent, daily aerobic exercise – like walking briskly for 40 minutes – may reduce your risk for dementia by 40 to 50 percent!

In addition: some studies have shown that exercise contributes to lower blood pressure and keeping blood pressure to normal levels is believed to help reduce risk according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Bonus Tip: head trauma appears to be linked to future risk of Alzheimer’s too, so if your exercise merits it, wear a helmet! It’s also good to “fall-proof” your home, wear a seat belt, and, if you have children or grandchildren, keep an eye out for them as well!

To learn more about Dr. Rondberg and OMEGA Brain Health & Nutrition’s approach to Alzheimer’s, call (951) 699-5000 or visit http://www.omegabrainhealth.com.