Nearly six million Americans, aged 65 and older, have Alzheimer’s disease. Estimates show that number can increase to 14 million by 2060. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common type of dementia. Dementia is not a disease but a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities.
Prevention
In recent years, growing scientific evidence show that following a healthy lifestyle can not only prevent cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, but it may also help with preventing memory problems as well as Alzheimer’s disease. Some of the strongest evidence point to exercising regularly, around 30 minutes of moderately vigorous aerobic exercise, three to four times a week.
Food/Healthy Diet
Adopting a healthy diet, one that is low is saturated fats, may also help with a healthier brain. The Alzheimer’s Association recommends the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and the Mediterranean diets. The DASH diet includes eating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish, poultry, and nuts. Decrease sodium, red meat, sweets and sugared beverages, saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol. The Mediterranean Diet consists of eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains, and primarily using olive oil. Fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, and red wine are consumed moderately. Eat red meat only occasionally.
Mind Diet
More recently, Rush and Harvard Universities developed the MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH Diets. Initial studies comparing the MIND, Mediterranean and DASH diets showed that participants who strictly followed all three diets showed a decrease in Alzheimer’s risk. It also showed that participants who only moderately followed the MIND diet also had benefits. The MIND diet prescribes not just any vegetable but specifically green leafy vegetables. Additionally, the diet recommends berries as the primary fruit. Below is a recipe for a light dessert that features blueberries and walnuts.
Steps to Improve Brain Health
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has identified eight steps for a healthier brain. Consult your health professional on how you can best apply these measures to your healthy lifestyle:
Step 1:Quit smoking
It is never too late to quit smoking to improve your health and reduce your risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Step 2: Prevent and manage high blood pressure 
Half of the U.S. population 20 years of age and older have high blood pressure and/or are taking heart medication. A normal blood pressure is 80/120 mm Hg. The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology consider patients with high blood pressure if their blood pressure is consistently 130/80 mm Hg or higher. It usually has no symptoms, so it is important to either have it taken with your healthcare provider or measure it yourself at home using a blood pressure monitor.
Step 3: Prevent and manage high cholesterol
About 38% of American adults have high cholesterol (total blood cholesterol ≥ 200 mg/dL). Too much cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke. High cholesterol has no signs or symptoms, so the only way to know if you have it is to get your cholesterol checked.
Step 4: Maintain a healthy weight
Healthy eating and regular exercise are the hallmarks of keeping a healthy weight. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of body fat given an adult’s height and weight. A normal weight should fall on a BMI of 5–24.9. Calculate your BMI here and make sure you consult your doctor on the best regimen to a healthy weight.
Step 5: Get enough sleep
Adults need seven or more hours of sleep every night. Additionally, the quality of sleep is just as important. If you are not feeling rested when you wake up, developing sleep habits may help.
Step 6: Stay engaged
Keeping engaged socially is associated with physical and mental health. Look for activities that interest you: join a choir, volunteer in your community, or take a class with CSU Extension. Classes offered include high elevation baking, canning foods, financial literacy, wellness, and many more. Scroll down to your local county extension office website and check out available classes. Most classes are free or have minimal fees.
Step 7: Manage blood sugar
It’s very important to keep your blood sugar level at target levels, especially if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes. You can also delay or prevent Type 2 diabetes by getting to a healthy weight and exercise. In fact, prediabetes can be reversed. Prediabetes is very common, around 88 million Americans adults have it and 84% of them don’t know it. Take this one-minute prediabetes risk test to find out if you’re at risk. Visit your doctor to confirm you result if you get high risk score.
Step 8: If you drink, do so in moderation
Drinking in moderation is one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less for adult men.
Recipes for Health
Here are a couple of recipes that you can enjoy! Click on the photo to find the recipe to print out.
