Can exercise or a healthier lifestyle forestall Alzheimer's Disease or Memory Loss?

Yes, sometimes. Here are some guidelines based on recent research on our aging parents, dementia and age-related disorders of the brain.  

What is Dementia & What is Alzheimer's

Obviously those questions are enormously complex and are addressed thoroughly elsewhere.  But here are some basic facts.  

Over half of 85-year-olds will suffer some form of dementia.   Alzheimer's accounts for over 60% of those.  But mental stimulation, exercize, social interaction and diet can help. 

Alzheimer's Disease and dementia are different according to Angela Lunde, Mayo Clinic's Education Outreach Coordinator.  Dementiarefers to a set of symptoms not a specific disease.  Dementia can be caused by 

vascular, Parkinson's, Lewy Bodies and Frontotemporal diseases.  Symptoms can include loss of memory, bad judgement, and loss of short term memory.

Alzheimer's Disease can progress from memory loss, difficulty learning new things, reduced attention, challenged planning and analysis functions, and apathy, to later on problems with language, long term memory, emotional stability, sense of reality, wandering, and extreme apathy.

Alzheimer's is known equally for the enormous emotional, physical and financial burdens it often leads to for caregivers and family members.  One thing for sure, for the large number of persons and their families who are affected, there is no limit to the strong emotional reaction elicited from affected family members when the topic brought up.  For these  unfortunate hero's there is no Alzheimer's definition of dementia definition that reduce the memory loss, prevent the disease or reduce the Alzheimer's risk.  Experts about genetic disorders such as this have not found a cure for the impact on caregivers.

Can Alzheimer's or Dementia Be Prevented or Cured?

There is no cure for Alzheimer's.  Dementia can be a symptom of various diseases.  If dementia is a symptom of nutritional imbalance then it may be adressed.  But can Alzheimer's be delayed or prevented?  

The growing consensus among experts appears to be that Alzheimers cannot be prevented; but that there seems to be growing confidence that it's symptoms can be delayed or diminished.

How to prevent Alzheimers symptoms, or at least delay them?  Everything I've learned so far (and that is not nearly enough) is that a healthier lifestyle of mental stimulation, physical exercise, social interaction and good nutrition is thought by experts to help delay certain symptoms.

What the Medical Researchers are Discovering About Delaying Alzheimer's Symptoms

Among all disorders of the brain, Alzheimer's takes the greatest toll on our aging parents and their families.  According to a recent NPR news program on how exercise can beat back dementia, various medical researchers are concluding that a healthier lifestyle can lead to a healthy brain and reduced alzheimer's risk of symptoms.  Bryan James at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center describes a concept of "life space."  Basically that refers to his research which suggests that elderly people who never leave home were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.  Social interaction appears to be a strong factor in reducing or delaying symptoms of Alzheimer's or dementia.

The NPR story also refers to Kaiser Permanente researcher Rachel Whitmer, who is suggests that good blood pressure, cholesterol, and body weight can enhance a healthier brain ("what's good for the heart is good for the brain").  Also, some believe there is evidence that a diet to include omega-3 fatty acids (fish) and antiodidants (vitamins C & E, vegetables) makes for a healthier brain.

Neuroscientist Art Kramer of the Beckman Institute says exercise is first and foremost the best thing you can do for your brain.  One of his studies claims that a busy social life can reduce likelihood of dementia by as much as 50%!

Can exercize or a healthier lifestyle help fight Alzheimer's Disease or memory loss?

YES!  Mental stimulation, social interaction, physical exercise and careful diet.  Let's get started now, while we still can.