Upside Of Aging

Depression Risk Lowered with Healthy Diet

 

A healthy diet not only keeps you in shape but it lowers your risk of developing depression and Alzheimer's  disease. The research reports that eating a Mediterranean style diet can preserve your mental health better than someone who eats a fast food diet.

 

Your mother was right: eat your vegetables. The Mediterranean style is loaded with fish and very little meat, lots of fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, olive oil and some wine. The even better news is that if you followed this diet and were physically active you would lower your risks of depression and Alzheimer's even more.

 

The researchers comment that they don't know exactly which of the elements of the diet and which exercise offer the protection. Their opinion is that it's the overall diet and physical health plan because it lowers inflammation, oxidative stress, and risk for cardiovascular disease.

 

An interesting note by the researchers is that the good result did not rely on calorie reduction to maintain a healthier mind and body. For instance, if two people were eating the same number of calories and one was eating healthy while the other was consuming sliders with cheese, the person eating the healthier diet was more protected. They also found that those who follow the Mediterranean diet and exercised also lowered their risk for depression and Alzheimer's much more than other eating plans.

 

It seems like such a simple task to modify your diet and be more active to lower your risks of depression and Alzheimer's. Most people who have tried it can tell you that it's also a daunting task but worth the effort.

 

Do you think you may try the diet and exercise approach?  Let us know and will be one of your boosters.

 

To your successful healthy aging.

 

Ruthan

 

Social Networking Also Reduces Risk of Dementia

Taking those bridge lessons or joining the senior centers computer class, or attending the CPR training class at your local hospital may be just what it takes to lower your risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Recent studies reported that learning is good but there was a mixed bag about what kind of social contact works. For instance, one study said marriage was also helpful and another study reported that marriage was not helpful.

This most recent study, published in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health, clearly demonstrated that large social networks reduced the risk of getting dementia by 26 percent. The study started in 2001 with 2,200 women 78 years and older with no dementia. At the end 268 were diagnosed with dementia. Those with large social networks showed a reduced risk. Marriage, on the other hand, did not make a difference.

Interestingly, those with daily contact had a lower risk of dementia. The contact didn't have to be face-to-face; it could be email or telephone. And there is no exact number of what makes up a social network. The researchers think the number has to be more than two. You could, however, have three close friends, and be fine.

It appears that the more interaction, the more you challenge your brain which all fits in with the data that shows isolation is bad for you. Even so more study is needed to focus on exactly which aspects of social support are linked to the decrease of dementia risk.

There you have it. Keep your friends and make some new ones. Stay in touch with family. Keep learning and exploring. The risk for dementia is still there for you but you have reduced the possibility.

To your successful aging,

Ruthan Brodsky

Stay Healthy: Prevent Alzheimer's Part 2

In our last post Dr. Reginald O’Neal, an internist practicing in Rochester, Michigan, identified the areas that influence whether we are at great risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).  Click here to read. In this post Dr. O’Neal gives you six prevention strategies:

It’s true, we can’t do much about our age or genetic profile. However, research suggests that good health habits and lifestyle juices can help lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It’s important to understand that the degree to which a person may be helped by any of these factors may not be much especially if the person has a family history of Alzheimer’s or heart disease or diabetes. For that same reason it is even more important to concentrate on the approaches that can lower the risk of AD.

1.Lowering your risk of heart disease will lower your risk of developing AD.

Maintain a healthy level of blood cholesterol. Some studies suggest there may be a connection between high levels of blood cholesterol and development of AD. Recent studies have also reported that the statin drugs which lower cholesterol may also reduce the risk of dementia.

Maintain a healthy level of the amino acid homocysteine.  High levels of homocysteine are known to increase heart disease risk and associated with an increased risk of developing AD. The solution is often simple. Blood levels of homocystein can be reduced by increasing the amount of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12.

Control your blood pressure. High blood pressure that begins in midlife and other factors of stroke, such as age, diabetes and heart disease, can damage blood vessels in the brain and reduce the brain’s oxygen supply. The damage may disrupt nerve cell circuits and raise the risk of developing AD. Today, there is no reason anyone in the USA should have blood pressure that’s out of control.

2.Maintain a healthy weight. What’s good for your heart is also good for your brain.

3. Prevent adult onset diabetes.

If you already have diabetes work closely with your physician to control your blood sugar levels. Studies suggest that diabetes is associated with several types of dementia including AD. In fact, Type 2 diabetes and AD have several common characteristics including increasing prevalence with age and deposits of damaging amyloid protein (in the brain for AD and in the pancreas for type 2 diabetes. Researchers are also studying the possible role of insulin resistance (when the body produces insulin but cells don’t use it correctly) in AD as well as the relationship between cognitive decline in diabetes and AD.

4. Spend time with family and friends

Many studies report that being with family and having friends and participating in social activities is associated with reducing the risk of dementia.

5. Use your brain

Studies have also shown that keeping the brain active is associated with reducing AD risk. You name it: reading, working puzzles, visiting museums, taking classes – all help. All the studies report the value of lifelong learning and mentally stimulating activity. In one study, scientists found that during their early and middle adulthood, the healthy older people had engaged in more mentally stimulating activities and spent more hours doing them than did those who ultimately developed AD. In other words, you can’t start too early to use your brain.

6. Move! Be physical.

Physical activity helps more than your heart and your weight; it’s good for your brain. Studies show that cardiovascular fitness is associated with increased functioning in certain regions of the brain.

There are no magic pills to prevent or lower the risk of AD. There are claims that some nutritional supplements can also help reduce the risk of AD. Ginkgo biloba, for example, has been investigated and there’s no evidence to show that it will prevent AD.

Certainly eating correctly and taking in enough of the right vitamins and minerals is important. Most anything you can do to live a healthy lifestyle is important.

The fact remains, to lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle especially if your family history doesn’t look good. There’s no treatments, drugs, or pills that have been proven to prevent AD and only a couple can delay its development but temporarily.

It’s all up to you to take those actions to reduce the effect of possible AD risk factors. But hey…aren’t you worth it!

Reginald O’Neal, DO

Reginald O'Neal is a primary care physician specializing in Internal Medicine. He is located in Rochester, Michigan.  Dr. O'Neal's primary goal is to prevent chronic medical problems with patients as his partners.

It seems that everything we've been told about what to do to stay healthy also applies to preventing AD. There are no extra rules.  You would think some of us will find some success! Good luck to all of us.

To your aging successfully

Regards, Ruthan

www.upsideofaging.com       www.balanceyourhealth.com    www.theagingofanorexia.com

Alzheimer's Disease: Can it Be Prevented?

A few months ago, Dr. Reginald O’Neal wrote about solutions to preventing 5 major illnesses . Dementia was one of those topics.Click here!  And Here!Today he again writes about dementia and specifically Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

A report issued by the Alzheimer’s Association predicted that Alzheimer’s disease will approach epidemic proportions in the U.S, very soon. Today there are over five million Americans now living with this mind-robbing condition. That number is a 10 percent increase from just five years ago and more than double the number in 1980.

The fact is one in every eight people over the age of 65 now has Alzheimer’s disease. The Association claims that unless new ways are found to prevent or treat the disease, the total could climb to 7.7 by the year 2030 and 16 million by 2050. That is a huge number of people.

The report also points out that younger people are now affected with AD. Close to half a million people under the age of 65 are dealing with early onset Alzheimer’s.

Dr. O’Neal writes:

One of the biggest concerns for my patients is whether or not they’re going to develop Alzheimers disease. Many of these same patients then want to know if there’s anything they can do so they’ll stay healthy as they get older.

I tell all my patients the same thing. Alzheimer’s has no known cure and the secrets to prevent it aren’t known as yet. Even so, there are clues about the origins and development of AD so that one day it may be possible to delay the onset of AD, slow it’s progress, or even prevent it altogether.

Alzheimer’s develops when genetic, environmental and lifestyle issues come together which causes the disease to start and progress. It is complex, developing over many years. The disease is also impacted by issues – environmental, lifestyle choices, age – that may also increase or decrease a person’s risk for developing the disease.

We have no control over some of these risk factors such as who were our parents and what is their health history. The good news, however, is we can do something about other possible AD risk factors. The effect on any one person of risk factor changes depends on each person’s genetic make up, environment and lifestyle.

More on ways to protect against Alzheimers in our next post on Monday, October 6.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, submit them. Scroll down t comments and type them in the window.

Have a great week end.

To your successful aging,

Ruthan

www.upsideofaging.com              www.balanceyourhealth.com

www.the agingofanorexia.com

Research on Alzheimer's Continues

I’m hoping that during the next 10 years – or sooner – some pharmaceutical company is going to arrive at a drug that either prevents or stops Alzheimer’s disease.

Right now several companies have drugs they’re waiting to test on humans that slow down the disease. They’ve developed a process where specific immune cells were boosted to get across the blog-brain barrier and into the brain. These immune cells consumed much the amyloid plaque found in the brains of mice in this study. Amyloid plaques are associated with Alzheimer’s disease; the more plaques the worse the disease.

The researchers out of Yale University aren’t really sure why it works but if they can get immune cells to behave like that in humans, huge progress will be made in controlling the progress of Alzheimer’s. Good news.

I am all for that kind of progress.

If you’ve heard of any research about Alzheimer’s let me know and we’ll share the information. Scroll down to Comments and type what you know about research progress re Alzheimer’s in the blank window. I’ll make sure we share the information with others.

To your successful aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

Providing content marketing for business and health care providers.

www.upsideofaging.com

www.balanceyourhealth.com

www.theagingofanorexia.com

Research on Alzheimer's Continues

I’m hoping that during the next 10 years – or sooner – some pharmaceutical company is going to arrive at a drug that either prevents or stops Alzheimer’s disease.

Right now several companies have drugs they’re waiting to test on humans that slow down the disease. They’ve developed a process where specific immune cells were boosted to get across the blog-brain barrier and into the brain. These immune cells consumed much the amyloid plaque found in the brains of mice in this study. Amyloid plaques are associated with Alzheimer’s disease; the more plaques the worse the disease.

The researchers out of Yale University aren’t really sure why it works but if they can get immune cells to behave like that in humans, huge progress will be made in controlling the progress of Alzheimer’s. Good news.

I am all for that kind of progress.

If you’ve heard of any research about Alzheimer’s let me know and we’ll share the information. Scroll down to Comments and type what you know about research progress re Alzheimer’s in the blank window. I’ll make sure we share the information with others.

To your successful aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

Providing content marketing for business and health care providers.

www.upsideofaging.com

www.balanceyourhealth.com

www.theagingofanorexia.com

Alzheimer's Disease: To Screen or Not to Screen?

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, a nonprofit advocacy group, endorses memory tests for all older Americans. The Alzheimer’s Disease Screening Discussion Group – sponsored by Pfizer and Esai, who produce the Alzheimer’s drug Aricept- also promoted screening for those 65 or older or residing in an assisted-living or long-term care facility.

Other health professionals are concerned that mass screening for Alzheimer’s could do more harm than good by giving false reassurances to some and causing others to worry needlessly.

Alzheimer's Testing As Early as Age 50

There’s a definite movement for universal screening for Alzheimer starting with people have a history of the Alzheimer’s Disease in their family as well as for anyone 50 years and older.

The theory behind the screening is that there are now medicines that can slow down the progress of the disease and these medicines work better the earlier the disease is diagnosed.