Things You Can Do To Decrease Your Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia where an abnormal build-up of proteins called amyloid plaques and tau tangles surround brain cells. These clumps form plaques that block neuronal communication, inhibiting cells from carry out their daily duties. With lack of access to nutrients and impaired communication, Alzheimer's destroys neurons and causes tissue loss. Alzheimer's disease commonly affects the hippocampus, the brain area involved in learning and memory. Neurons dying off and shrinking of the hippocampus can lead to memory loss and mild cognitive impairment, such as not knowing how to cook a meal or make a logical decision. As Alzheimer's progresses, people can forget essential life functions such as how to swallow or move around.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2020, 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and experts forecast the case number to triple by 2060. While researchers have not yet found a cure for Alzheimer's, they have pinpointed causes behind it. The National Institute on Aging says that age, along with a combination of genetic and environmental factors, influences the onset of Alzheimer's. However, research shows that practicing healthy lifestyle choices can decrease the risk of Alzheimer's, even if there is a family history of dementia. Keeping your body physically and mentally fit is key — here are some science-backed ways to reduce your risk.

Here's the beef with red meat — too much of it may increase your risk of dementia on top of other health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes (via Scripps Institute). A 2020 study in Current Developments in Nutrition found that red meat was associated with worse reasoning ability, poor short-term memory, and poor prospective memory. However, red meat did show a protective effect for conserving visual-spatial memory. According to the Scripps Institute, people who want red meat in their diet should limit their intake to 6 or 8 ounce portions only once or twice a week.

That means the occasional burger is fine, but consider switching your usual order to a plant-based burger — or, as it turns out, you could try lamb. A 2020 study found that eating lamb — but not other red meats — improved long-term cognition. "Depending on the genetic factors you carry, some individuals seem to be more protected from the effects of Alzheimer's, while other seem to be at greater risk. That said, I believe the right food choices can prevent the disease and cognitive decline altogether. Perhaps the silver bullet we're looking for is upgrading how we eat. Knowing what that entails contributes to a better understanding of Alzheimer's and putting this disease in a reverse trajectory," Brandon Klinedinst, a Neuroscience PhD candidate working in the Food Science and Human Nutrition department at Iowa State, told Iowa State University.

A glass of wine after a grueling workday sounds like a great idea to kick back and unwind. And the occasional glass not only helps you relax, it can also boost your brainpower. A 2019 study in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy found a decreased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in people who engaged in light to moderate drinking during middle to late adulthood. However, in the same 2019 study, the researchers found heavy alcohol use increased the risk of dementia by causing alterations to multiple brain structures, pointing to the fact that excessive drinking causes more harm than good. The National Institutes of Health recommends two or fewer drinks for men and one or fewer drinks for women daily. In the same 2019 study, the researchers found heavy alcohol use increased the risk of dementia by causing alterations to multiple brain structures.

Moderation is key. According to the Alzheimer's Society, heavy drinking makes it harder for brain areas to communicate with each other by shrinking brain volume and reducing white matter. Indeed, a 2018 study published in The BMJ found that people who abstain from alcohol increase their risk of dementia. However, people who drank excessively — more than 14 drinks a week — also had an increased risk. Drinking over 14 drinks a week can worsen cognitive performance compared to people who drink less than one glass a week, according to research.

A major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is high blood pressure. Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that evidence of a brain-blood pressure link first emerged in 2013 when scientists discovered that older adults with high blood pressure or hypertension were more likely to show biomarkers for Alzheimer's in their spinal fluid. Indeed, a 2021 study showed that people with high blood pressure before 35 were more likely to experience cognitive impairment. Additionally, research has shown that young adults or people 35 to 44 years of age with high blood pressure have smaller brain volumes and increased chance of developing dementia.

Johns Hopkins Medicine also says that blood pressure medication can cut the risk of Alzheimer's in half in adults with high blood pressure. A 2019 study from The Lancet Neurology found that any type of antihypertensive medication for lowering blood pressure was helpful in reducing the risk of dementia. "What we found was that if you didn't have Alzheimer's and you were taking blood pressure medication, you were somewhat less likely to develop dementia. And if you had dementia from Alzheimer's disease and you took certain antihypertensives, the disease was less likely to progress," Constantine George Lyketsos, director of the Memory and Alzheimer's Treatment Center at Johns Hopkins, told John Hopkins Medicine. It remains unknown, however, whether the benefit of taking these medications comes from managing the high blood pressure or if there are materials in the drugs that inhibit Alzheimer's progression in the brain.

Playing hooky from work to meet your friend for happy hour may be good for you in the long run. No matter if you're extraverted or introverted by nature, humans are social creatures (via MercyCare). Whether it's going to a party or commenting on an online post, social interaction leads to better mental health by improving your self-image and giving you a sense of belonging. Some research has also pointed to a relationship between social interaction and decreased incidence of dementia: A 2019 study found that people age 60 and older who had an expanded social calendar were at lower risk of developing dementia. Additionally, more social contact when you're middle-aged maintains high cognitive function.

According to Verywell Health, MRI studies have seen an increase in brain volume and cognitive functioning when people socialized with their friends. That said, the type of social interaction matters: Healthy relationships that make both parties happy and lift each other up are critical to maximizing the benefits of socialization.

Here's a food for thought — your diet defines you. And eating unhealthy foods may increase oxidative stress and inflammation that contribute to Alzheimer-related brain damage, according to research published in Neurology. Depending on what you eat, your diet can also decrease risk factors associated with Alzheimer's, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. "We're seeing these changes only in parts of the brain specifically affected by Alzheimer's, and in relatively young adults," Lisa Mosconi, associate professor of neurology from Weill Cornell Medicine, told the National Institutes of Health. "It all points to the way we eat putting us at risk for Alzheimer's down the line. If your diet isn't balanced, you really need to make an effort to fix it, if not for your body, then for your brain."

Fortunately, there is scientific evidence that the Mediterranean diet increases cognitive abilities and mitigates the chances of Alzheimer's. The 2021 study in Neurology found the Mediterranean diet protects against memory decline by stopping the shrinkage of brain structures. Additionally, a 2018 study found that people who followed a Western diet more than a Mediterranean diet had greater build-up for beta-amyloid deposits, increasing the risk of developing Alzheimer's. Following a Mediterranean diet could also delay Alzheimer's by up to 3 years.

If you were looking for a sign to get off your phone and go to sleep, here it is. Science shows a full night of sleep decreases your Alzheimer's risk by protecting your brain from accumulating amyloid-beta plaques. "Growing evidence suggests that improved sleep can help prevent Alzheimer's and is linked to greater amyloid clearance from the brain," Gad Marshall, associate medical director of clinical trials at the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told Harvard Health Publishing.

Sleep works by clearing out the toxins and excess waste you've accumulated throughout the day, explains Verywell Health. Sleep resets your brain and clears up space for the next day. "These findings have significant implications for treating 'dirty brain' disease like Alzheimer's," Maiken Nedergaard, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told Verywell Health. "Understanding precisely how and when the brain activates the glymphatic system and clears waste is a critical first step in efforts to potentially modulate this system and make it work more efficiently." Indeed, a 2020 study shows people have more beta-amyloid plaques when they get less deep sleep (via Current Biology). Another study found people in their 50s and 60s who slept less than 6 hours had an increased dementia risk (via Nature Communications). But oversleeping can be a problem — one study in JAMA Neurology found people who slept less than 6 or more than 9 hours showed more cognitive impairments. Consider aiming for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.