Alzheimer's Disease Information – 3 Tips to Prevent Memory Loss and Dementia

Here’s some astonishing Alzheimer's disease information: nearly 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease. And that number is expected to jump to as many as 16 million as baby boomers join the ranks of our senior citizens.

You needn’t be one of those millions afflicted with Alzheimer's. Courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation, you can take advantage now of these 3 tips to prevent memory loss and dementia and add years of good health and mental acuity to your life.

Tip #1: Adopt a mind-healthy diet. An excellent diet that prevents Alzheimer's disease is one that includes 20% “right” fats (rich in omega-3s from such sources as fish, olive oil and flax seed oil); 50% lean protein (from fish, chicken, turkey and soy products); and 30% complex carbohydrates (from fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes and whole grains).

Foods to avoid are ones that are high in trans-fat and saturated fat. Eaten in high quantities, these foods produce free radicals. Free radicals are a normal by-product of metabolism, but in high concentrations, they can cause inflammation and damage your cells, including brain cells. Antioxidant supplements like Vitamins C, E and B12 help your body eliminate these free radicals and improve your brain health as well. Other supplements that improve brain health and prevent memory loss are gingko biloba and Coenzyme Q-10.

Tip #2: Keep both your body and your brain active. Physical exercise is important for maintaining both a healthy body and a healthy mind. Physical exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of memory loss by as much as 50%. Physical activities can be as simple as walking, biking or dancing — or they can include activities of a more aerobic nature, such as jogging, strength training or swimming.

Don’t forget your brain when it comes to exercising. A good mental exercise is one that challenges the brain by focusing your attention, involving more than one of the five senses and breaks up your normal routine in an unexpected way. So take a break and read a book, work a crossword puzzle, play a board game, meditate or do a Sudoku puzzle. The time you spend exercising your brain will benefit your mental health, just as physical action will benefit your body’s health.

Tip #3: Balance your daily routine with some form of stress management. Stress can cause high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and is a factor in Alzheimer's disease. It can also increase the production of cortisol, a stress chemical that increases your heart rate and damages brain cells in the memory center of your brain. It also prevents glucose from entering brain cells and inhibits your neurotransmitter function. The result is damage, or even death, of vital healthy brain cells. This leads to short-term memory loss.

Your brain is an amazing, complex part of your body, and its care and feeding is a vital part of your daily routine. Investing your time now on this important Alzheimer's disease information will pay off in the future. And these 3 tips to prevent memory loss and dementia will help you reduce the risk of developing memory loss in the years to come.