How to fight Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease represents a significant threat to the security and enjoyment of our retirement years. According to some experts, by 2050 the number of Americans with Alzheimer's could be as high as 10 million, and the related health care costs may exceed $1 trillion per year.

But lately there's been good news in the fight against this deadly disease. Earlier this week, the Obama administration announced a plan to find effective treatments by 2025 and to improve care for Alzheimer's sufferers. The White House also said this month that it would devote $50 million in 2012 to Alzheimer's research and seek an additional $80 million in funding for fiscal 2013.

Also hopeful is that scientists are finding more ways we can delay, mitigate, and even prevent Alzheimer's through our lifestyle choices, including:

- Keeping our weight to healthy levels and avoiding obesity
- Adopting a low-fat diet, so that cholesterol doesn't clog blood vessels in the brain
- Exercising, which encourages blood flow to the brain
- Getting sufficient sleep
- Maintaining a robust social life and learning new things, so our brain continues to develop new neural connections

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Given the significant threat of Alzheimer's to individuals and our society, we should place a "Manhattan Project"-style priority on beating this disease. You can help by placing prevention near the top of your retirement-planning checklist.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto contributor assiseeit

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While I believe that more research and effort needs to be focused on Alzheimer's, your "helpful" hints above are very misleading. Alzheimer's is a capricious disease. My grandmother could outwork anybody 1/3 her age until her late 80's, never smoked, didn't drink, slept well, maintained a healthy weight her entire life, cholesterol numbers were great, the list goes on. Yet she suffered from Alzheimer's her last 10 years. On the flip side, I have a friend in her late 90's whose weight yo-yo'd over the years (very unhealthy), smoked, drank, the list goes on, and no problem with Alzheimer's or dementia. Your article is a bit misleading, probably because of it's brevity and lack of depth into the subject.

[stevevernon]

Hi Jody.jappert. Thanks for your comment. Researcher's don't yet know exactly what causes Alzheimer's, but they do know it is a combination of genetics and lifestyle choices. We can't do anything about our genetics, but we can make healthier lifestyle choices, such as those listed in my post. While there are no guarantees in life, they are the best we can do right now.

Steve

[halloran_r]

If you want to fight Alzheimer's don't drink the poison water with flouride in it. Don't breathe the aluminum particles and Barium they are spraying into the air.