Developing Alzheimer’s dementia is a scary prospect for us all. It’s not the memory lapses but the progression to not being able to take care of ourselves or even recognize those that have been dear to us for a lifetime that is so frightening.
The good news is that we are acquiring more evidence that it is preventable. Now, a new study shows that just forty-five minutes of exercise a week can drastically reduce your risk. In today’s Health Alert, I’ll tell also show you a few other safe and effective strategies for stopping Alzheimer’s before it starts.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disorder. Over time, it gradually destroys your memory and ability to learn, reason and make judgments. In its later stages, you can lose your capacity to communicate and carry out your required activities of daily living.
Currently, there’s no cure. But new research from the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle is proving that prevention is possible.
Researchers followed 1,700 elderly people for six years. They discovered that people who do modest but regular exercise lower their risk of Alzheimer’s by thirty to forty percent. In this case, they exercised for fifteen minutes, three times a week.
Exercise improves circulation. This gets blood to the brain and lowers the risk of blockages. It also helps the growth of new brain cells.
Keeping your mind active can also play a role in protecting you from mind robbing diseases. Other research shows that the more you use your brain the lower your risk of Alzheimer’s.
Researchers at Columbia University discovered that people with less than an eighth-grade education had twice the risk of developing Alzheimer’s as those with formal education. And if those with lower educational levels worked at mentally un-stimulating jobs, the risk was three times higher.
The more connections, or synapses, you develop between brain cells from the use of your brain, the more resistant you are to the disease.
But you don’t have to go back to school to or switch jobs to kick your brain into high gear and create those synapses. All you have to do is USE it — even for activities that seem more like “fun” than like learning.
Retain Your Mental Clarity Far into Old Age
To get the most from your exercise, follow my PACE program. PACE is clinically proven to strengthen the reserve capacity of your heart and boost your lung volume.
The pumping ability of your heart is critical for the brain. Getting blood and fresh oxygen to your head is the basic idea behind preventing Alzheimer’s. PACE is specifically designed to increase the amount of oxygen your lungs can transport through your body.
Not only will this help prevent Alzheimer’s, but it will boost your immune system and help prevent heart attacks as well.