Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative brain disease of unknown cause that produces severe cognitive, executive, language and especially memory impairment. In general terms, we speak of presenile dementia before the age of 60 and senile dementia after the age of 60.
What factors help prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
Prevention is understood as dietary or general parameters that reduce the risk factors for contracting the disease. In this sense, there is no such thing as total prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, but recent studies have identified factors that should be taken into account to delay or partially prevent the onset of the disease if the patient is prone to it. A balanced diet is essential for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Foods that help prevent this disease are:
- Monounsaturated foods how nuts, peanuts, almonds and walnuts.
- Intake of B complex vitamins; B12.B6.B1.
- Foods containing polyunsaturated acids, omega 3 and vegetables such as lettuce, chard, green beans, etc.
- Foods that provide folic acid, such as oranges and beans.
On the other hand, it is important to reduce foods such as red meat, sausages or seafood and fried food. Alcohol and tobacco also increase the risk. A balanced diet will reduce all known vascular risk factors: hyperglycemia, obesity, stress, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia… which can also accelerate the disease process.
What activities can I do to prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
Increasing intellectual activities that activate cognitive functions can be of great help in the prevention of this disease. Activities such as reading decrease the risk of contracting the disease, in the same way that speaking and learning languages prevents cognitive deterioration.
Sports and any physical exercise also improve cognitive health, since frequent aerobic sports keep the brain well oxygenated.
There are also exercises to acquire habits to focus attention, which is one of the functions that deteriorate first, both in dementia and in pre-senile or senile brains. Learning to listen is a magnificent exercise of the function related to attention.