Six habits to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease

[Inkriql]

The years become exhausting for those who have relatives affected by some dementia, and also for those who think they can inherit it from their parents and grandparents. But genetically determined cases, which are those that are considered hereditary, are minority and almost always occur at an early age (the first symptoms usually begin before the age of 60, some even in their forties). In the case of Alzheimer's, for example, less than 1% are of this type. "This means that 99% are sporadic cases in which, from what is known so far, the disease is caused by an interaction between a genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as our lifestyle," explains the spokeswoman for the Study Group of Conduct and Dementias of the Spanish Society of Neurology, Sagrario Manzano. And that, to some extent, can be prevented.

That is why scientists, while looking for a cure for dementia, are investigating what we could do to avoid it, what we are doing wrong so that so many cases occur (the World Health Organization estimates that 10 million new diagnoses occur annually) and how it could stop its appearance, or, at least, delay it as much as possible. They have already identified ways to do it, according to one of the participants in the last International Conference of the Alzheimer's Association (AAIC), which took place last month in Los Angeles (United States). There was presented a study by the University of Exeter, published in the journal JAMA, which concludes, with more accurate figures and data than were already known, that genetic risk factors and lifestyle independently influence the cognitive impairment According to the work, good life habits reduce the risk of suffering from dementia regardless of the genetic load with which you were born, reinforcing the idea that adherence to a healthy lifestyle prevents cognitive impairment.
Why not eating trans fat affects the brain?

The study followed about 200,000 people aged between 60 and 74 in the United Kingdom for eight years. Data on their lifestyle were mainly evaluated in relation to four aspects: smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and diet. The researchers made the analysis through blood samples and a genetic profile, which determined whether the participants had a high or low risk of Alzheimer's disease. The research found that the chances of developing dementia were 32% lower in people with a high genetic risk if they had followed a healthy lifestyle, compared to those who did not (scientists defined smokers as worse lifestyle , habitual drinkers who did not practice exercise and who did not follow a balanced diet). If now a family member or friend comes to your mind who did not taste a drop of alcohol, who did not smoke a cigarette in his life, who walked daily and ate little and healthy, but who sadly got the disease, the author The principal of the study, David Llewellyn, warns in the article: "There are no guarantees, some people did everything right and still developed dementia. But what our findings suggest is that it may be possible to reduce your risk by approximately one third living a style of healthy life, regardless of your genetic risk. "

But what exactly is the link between lifestyle and our cognitive system? For example, why not eating trans fat will affect my brain? As it turns out, there are neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by abnormal processing of brain proteins, processes that, on the other hand, are not yet well known and that are produced by the conjunction of genetic, cardiovascular, inflammatory, nutritional and psychological-social factors. "Nutrition, the improvement in our social skills and a reduction in toxic exposure would modify these processes, which is included in the term of healthy brain aging," explains the neurologist at Ramón y Cajal University Hospital Guillermo García Rivas.

The doctor explains what resistance and resilience consist of, the two concepts that occur in neurodegenerative diseases. "Resistance is understood as the absence of disease in the brain, and resilience is understood as the ability we have to adapt to its presence without presenting cognitive impairment. This last concept has to do with cognitive reserve and with observations of the little correlation exists between the lesion load present in a given brain and the degree of cognitive impairment. This means that there are people who have brain pathological alterations and yet hardly have any deterioration. "

The keys to prevent dementia

Prevention consists of leading a healthy lifestyle to get a better aging, and it is not about tackling a single risk factor (quitting smoking, for example), but all of them together. The spokeswoman for the Study Group of Behavior and Dementia of the Spanish Society of Neurology, Sagrario Manzano, lists what we can start doing right now to prevent the disease.
Physical exercise, a vital custom

Many studies support that a regular and non-explosive physical exercise is associated with a maintenance of cognitive function, and a delay in the onset of Alzheimer's. A study that gathered the results of 29 clinical trials revealed that aerobic exercise can improve the performance of healthy adults in their memory, attention and processing speed in the short term compared to the practice of another non-aerobic exercise, such as stretching or toning
The importance of social relations

It has been shown that the feelings of self-efficacy and self-esteem, which make up the so-called "social activity", are related to the maintenance of mental function. Studies show that more active social integration would serve to neutralize the stress of everyday life and its neurochemical (hormonal) effect, which is not too good for the brain.
Mental stimulation does not end in school

There are studies that indicate that the increase in education levels is associated with a greater probability of maintaining good brain function over time. The question would be whether we refer to education in children and youth, or to a longer education over time; that is, at any age, in such a way that we maintain continuous mental stimulation. "We have analyzed tasks such as reading books, attending conferences, participating in board games, among others, and there is evidence of a lower risk of cognitive impairment and dementia if performed regularly. Therefore, we could apply the phrase: more It's worth late than never, "says the neurologist.
Prevention extends to the cardiovascular field

Its role is crucial in the mental deterioration associated with age. And, in addition, the severity of cognitive symptoms in people with Alzheimer's disease is substantially increased by the existence of vascular risk factors. These factors are: high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, heart disease and smoking, with diabetes being the fundamental one.
Health enters through the mouth

Some studies suggest that fish intake at least once a week could result in a 60% reduction in Alzheimer's risk, as well as a slowdown in cognitive impairment. While high consumption of saturated fats and copper would synergistically increase cognitive impairment, omega 3 fatty acids could be related to a smaller increase in disease. The Mediterranean diet has also been associated with a lower risk of suffering from the disease, including antioxidants, vitamin C and E, and omega 3. "In no case are they curative treatments, neither those mentioned nor the famous ginkgo biloba (not has demonstrated efficacy in Alzheimer's dementia), but they would be recommended in the early stages in order to delay the onset of dementia, "explains the specialist.
The importance of motivation

You have to try to be happy, to be excited to live, to enjoy everything around you, because the propensity for affliction has been related to an acceleration of cognitive impairment. Mental illnesses such as depression have been linked to increased atrophy (loss of neurons) in a region of the brain called the hippocampus ("gateway of memories") and other brain regions. Also beware of apathy, which is often ignored or confused with depression, since the loss of interest and emotions is something that is present in almost half of people with dementia. The research conducted by the University of Exeter, presented at the International Conference of the Alzheimer's Association in Los Angeles, analyzed 4,320 people with Alzheimer's disease and 45% of them suffered from it.