The Evidence Keeps Rolling In

Some important new studies were reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in April in Los Angeles.  The studies were about the effect of lifestyle changes on prevention and treatment of AD.  This, of course, is what Beating the Dementia Monster is all about.

The first study was conducted by Dr. Klodian Dhana of Rush University.  It looked at five healthy-lifestyle factors: diet, exercising at least 150 minutes a week, smoking abstinence, limiting alcohol intake, and engaging in cognitively stimulating activities.  The cognitively stimulating activities included reading newspapers, playing cards, or visiting libraries and museums.  The study examined how these reduced Alzheimer's risk.  There were about 2,500 subjects who were followed over a ten year period.

Subjects who adhered to at least four of these healthy habits had a 60 percent decrease in risk of developing AD, and even those who had two or three of them had a 37 percent decrease in risk, compared with those who engaged in one or none.  That's pretty powerful!

Another study from the UK tracked the genetics, lifestyles and Alzheimer's disease incidence of nearly 200,000 British people over 60 for an average of eight years.  The study was led by Dr. David Llewellyn at the University of Exeter Medical School.  What did it find?  Among people found to be at highest genetic risk, healthy living appeared to reduce the chances of developing the disease by 35 percent.  According to the researchers, that implies that 1 case of dementia would be prevented for each 121 individuals every 10 years with high genetic risk who improved their lifestyle from unfavorable to favorable.

All of this, of course, underscores everything we've been saying here and in Beating the Dementia Monster.  I hope to strengthen the case in the next edition.