Nine Easy Steps to Fight Age-Related Memory Loss

E-mail this page to a friend!

Alzheimer's & Dementia

Nine Easy Steps to Fight Age-Related Memory Loss

By Tucker Sutherland, editor

April 27, 2006 – If there is a universal concern among senior citizens, it has to be the fear of mental decline. Alzheimer's disease, of course, being the ultimate. The May issue of the Harvard Men's Health Watch offers nine steps senior citizens and baby boomers – well, any adult, actually - can take to keep their minds healthy. Every senior should post this list where it will remind them often of these easy steps we can all take to fight off age-related memory loss.

Interestingly, the things we need to do to protect ourselves from dementia, are pretty close to the things we need to do to protect ourselves from the other great fear - heart disease. High cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and smoking have long been considered – and aggressively treated – as risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These same cardiovascular risk factors in middle age may also increase significantly the risk of dementia in old age, according to Kaiser Permanente researchers. (Click to story)

This was also explored in research of "Mixed Dementia" that suggested the same actions by senior citizens to prevent heart attacks or strokes will also prevent memory loss and other problems of dementia. Mixed dementia is a combination of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, caused in part by problems with blood flow in the brain. (Click to story)

Beneath each of the nine recommendations from Harvard, we have posted links to reports in SeniorJournal.com that tell you more about the recommendation.

Steps You Should Take

Links to more information

1. Get mental stimulation:
Brainy activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells. Read, draw, take classes, and explore new hobbies.

Use it or Lose it?
• Brain Cell Activity Increases Levels of Key Ingredient in Alzheimer's Plaques

• Study Links Teen IQ, Activity Levels With Risk of Dementia as Seniors

• Doctor Who Spawned “Use it or lose it” Wins Geriatrics Society's Award

• Higher Education May Buffer Senior Citizens from Cognitive Decline

2. Get physical exercise:
Exercise increases the number of blood vessels that bring blood to the region of the brain responsible for thought. It also spurs the development of new nerve cells. In one study, for every mile a woman walked each day, her risk of cognitive decline dropped by 13%.

• Evidence Growing that Alzheimer's Risk Greatly Diminished by Exercise
• Senior Citizens Can Save Their Memory by Exercising Bodies and Brains - New Study
• Exercise Significantly Reduces Risk of Dementia in Senior Citizens
• Study Adds to Evidence that Exercise Slows Alzheimer’s and Dementia
• Alzheimer’s Risk Lowered by Exercise Variety – Not Intensity

3. Improve your diet:
A reduced-calorie diet has been linked to a lower risk of mental decline. Also remember your Bs: folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. These can help lower homocysteine levels. High homocysteine has been linked to an increase risk of dementia.

• Alzheimer's Risk Lowered by Mediterranean Diet in Study
• Obesity in 40s Raises Risk of Alzheimer's as Senior Citizens
• More Evidence an Apple a Day Keeps Alzheimer's Away
• Vitamin B Rich Folates Significantly Reduce Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
• Vitamin E May Slow Alzheimer’s Says New Research
• Something Fishy About Alzheimer’s Prevention

4. Improve your blood pressure:
High blood pressure in midlife increases the risk of cognitive decline.

• Dementia Risk Lowered in Elderly by Sustained Blood Pressure Treatment
• Blood Pressure Lowering Drugs Linked To Reduced Risk of Alzheimer's
• Low Blood Pressure in Elderly Increases Risk of Dementia

5. Improve your cholesterol:
High levels of LDL (“bad” cholesterol) increase the risk of dementia, as do low levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol).

• Low Blood Flow to Brain May Be A Cause of Dementia

• Good Cholesterol May Keep Your Brain Working

6. Avoid tobacco:
According to one study, smoking doubles the risk of dementia.

• Nicotine Could Lead to Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s

7. Don’t abuse alcohol:
Excessive drinking is a major risk factor for dementia. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to two drinks per day.

• Red Wine Reduces Alzheimer’s Disease-Causing Peptides

8. Protect your head:
Moderate to severe head injuries early in life increase the risk of cognitive impairment.

• New Hypothesis About Alzheimer's Disease - Inflammation Blamed

9. Build social networks:
One study linked frequent social interactions with a 42% reduction in dementia risk.

• Social Contact Protects Senior Citizens from Alzheimer's Damaging Effects

More helpful information in SeniorJournal.com:

• Alzheimer’s May Result from Lifestyle Habits

• Cognitive Impairment Common in Seniors: Increases with Age, Lack of Education

• Critical Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Delayed for Years by Stigma and Denial

• Clear Genetic Link Found for Alzheimer's in Study of Twins

• Senior Citizen Memory Loss Due to Irrelevant Distractions in Aging Brain

• Lifetime Depression Links to Alzheimer's Through Tangles in the Brain

• Long-Term Stress Is Why Some Senior Citizens Have Poor Memories

• Alzheimer’s Disease May Begin with Lapses in Attention

• Memory Loss Before Your Time May Be Due to Stress as Infant

• Steady Weight Loss May Indicate Alzheimer’s Onset for Senior Citizens

• Alzheimer’s Warning Signs Show Up Years Before Diagnosis

• Older People With the "Alzheimer's Gene" Find It Harder to "Remember to Remember"

• Study Identifies Predictors of Alzheimer’s Disease Longevity

Go to the index of all our stories on Alzheimer's & Dementia

Also in the May issue of the Harvard publication :
• Making sense of new findings on low-fat diets
• Youth, age, and prostate cancer
• A doctor discusses: painful, persistent erections as medication side effect

Harvard Men’s Health Watch is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $24 per year. Subscribe at http://www.health.harvard.edu/men or by calling 1-877-649-9457 (toll free).

Click here to Search SeniorJournal.com for more on this subject

Click to More Senior News on the Front Page

Copyright: SeniorJournal.com

Back to Top

Published by New Tech Media - www.NewTechMedia.com

Other New Tech Media sites include CaroleSutherland.com, BethJanicek.com, SASeniors.com, DrugDanger.com, etc.