6 ways to cut risk
Here, Gibbs outlines six steps to help reduce the risk and slow the progress of Alzheimer’s in its very early stages…
1. Exercise
There’s overwhelming evidence regular aerobic exercise reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and slows the progression of the disease in the early stages by as much as 50%, Gibbs says. The evidence for a beneficial effect of exercise is robust except in the late stage of the disease, when it may be too late to intervene.
2. Eat a plant-based diet
A plant-based, Mediterraneanstyle diet appears to reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer’s. The evidence is most compelling for a variant of the Mediterranean diet called the MIND diet (Mediterranean intervention for neurodegenerative delay) that emphasises adding green vegetables, berries, nuts and other foods rich in flavanols.
3. Mentally stimulating activity
While games and puzzles may be helpful, it’s particularly important to challenge the brain with new learning, as this is thought to help develop new neuronal pathways and synapses. Examples include reading, learning to play a new musical piece, or studying a new language.
4. Social engagement
This can be hard for people living with Alzheimer’s because apathy is often a part of the disease. There’s evidence that those who remain socially active have slower progression.
5. Getting adequate sleep
This is an emerging area of research. There appears to be a cleansing of the brain of toxins, including betaamyloid (a protein that forms sticky plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s) during sleep by the so-called glymphatic circulation. Also, sleep disorders, including sleep apnoea, are common in patients with Alzheimer’s and should be treated if present.
6. Diabetes and high blood pressure treatment
Both these disorders – diabetes and high blood pressure – can aggravate Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain, as well as lead to vascular dementia, a condition that often coexists with Alzheimer’s. Therefore, detecting these issues early and ensuring they’re well managed is also important.
A Tattoo On My Brain: A Neurologist’s Personal Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease by Daniel Gibbs with Teresa H Barker is published by Cambridge University Press on May 6, £18.99