Best Ways To Prevent Alzheimer's

Of the four major chronic degenerative diseases that most people pass on from, the one that we have no efficacious treatments for is dementia, the most common one being Alzheimer's.

Thankfully, there are some concrete daily habits that can substantially lower our risk of developing dementia:

1. Prevent hearing loss.

Hearing loss often leads to less social interaction and less auditory input, which causes cognitive decline. If hearing loss already exists, use of a hearing aid is recommended.

2. Keep teeth and gums healthy through regular flossing and rinsing.

The microbe P. gingivalis is a common cause of gum disease - its presence is associated with elevated inflammation throughout the body, as evidenced by higher levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other inflammatory markers.

Researchers have also found P. gingivalis in the brain tissue of those with Alzheimer's - for now, this is just a correlative finding, not a definitive causal link. But it's clear that the healthier our gums, the healthier we are systemically.

3. Stay physically strong.

Staying functionally strong, as measured by grip strength and any progressive markers we wish to use while doing resistance training, is is strongly correlated with lower risk of dementia.

4. Do some aerobic activity daily.

Walking or engaging in any other activity that encourages maintenance of endurance is helpful to circulatory health, blood glucose regulation, and mitochondrial efficiency, all of which are helpful in lowering risk of Alzheimer's.

5. Avoid or minimize intake of sugar and other unnecessary carbohydrates.

Less sugar intake directly translates to better insulin sensitivity, which decreases our risk for all chronic degenerative diseases, including dementia.

6. Prioritize restful sleep.

It's when we enter deep sleep when our bodies most efficiently produce and secrete erythropoietin, growth hormone, and testosterone, all essential for repair of damaged cells and clearance of waste materials that gradually accumulate within and between our cells, including those in our brain.

7. Ensure optimal intake of B vitamins, especially B-12 and B-6.

These B vitamins protect blood vessels by preventing accumulation of homocysteine. Both are also essential for optimal brain health, including memory. These are the primary reasons why B-12 and B-6 are included in our organic whole food multi:

Powder form: https://drbenkim.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=150

Vegetable capsule form: https://drbenkim.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=147

Countless studies also indicate that optimal vitamin D status is helpful in supporting memory and a lower overall risk of developing dementia. Our primer on vitamin D and how to calculate how much to take can be found here:

https://drbenkim.com/vitamin-d-facts.htm

Also helpful in reducing risk of Alzheimer's is being socially active. Specifically, regularly putting ourselves in a variety of situations where we interact with new people and ideas appears to be the most effective way to support our brain health as we age.

Speaking more than one language during everyday life is yet another way of warding off dementia:

https://drbenkim.com/ways-ward-off-dementia.htm

And for those who are relatively new to our readership, here is a look at a fun way to lower risk of dementia, a step-by-step tutorial on how to become an expert at solving the Rubik's cube:

https://drbenkim.com/prevent-dementia-rubiks-cube.htm