Better Diet Or Lifestyle Doesn’t Prevent Alzheimeir’s

There are many people in the world suffering from Alzheimer's and experts are trying to prevent, if not to cure it

A healthier diet and a more physically active life are part of the secret of aging well. However, it seems that they do not help when it comes to preventing the horrible illness most old people suffer from, namely Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the experts gathered by the National Institutes of Health, who examined the studies made on Alzheimer’s up till now, there is no evidence that a healthier diet or a more active life can prevent the development of the disease. Some studies even suggested that chronic illnesses such as diabetes or hypertension can affect a person’s risk of developing the condition. The experts said that evidence has been found to show that diabetes together with a poor diet and smoking could raise the risk of Alzheimer’s. They also found that eating a diet high in healthy fats, fruits and vegetables and lowering the alcohol consumption together with increasing the activity of the brain and of the body can lower the risks, but the evidence was so weak, that the experts said that leading such a healthy life may not having anything to do with preventing the disease. “Although numerous studies have investigated risk factors and potential therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, significant gaps in scientific knowledge exist,” said Dr. Martha Daviglus of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago. She went on saying that there is not sufficient evidence so as to put the finger on something and say that this would prevent you from developing Alzheimer’s.

The only thing that remains for sure is that old age is the only reliable factor when it comes to this horrible condition that affects more than 26 million people all around the world. Plus, people who own a specific type of gene and a specific variant of the apolipoprotein E are also more at risk of suffering from the condition when old age hits them. Given that there is nothing reliable to say about Alzheimer’s at the moment, the U.S. panel has asked experts to start making studies which should be based on clinical trials of people, in order to find out what, if anything, can be done to prevent the development of the illness. Meanwhile, old people and people who have a history of Alzheimer’s in their family should try and keep active and lead a healthy life, just in case.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, significant amount of money should be attributed to these studies in order for them to make further recommendation in what concerns the disease. Furthermore, drug companies are thoroughly working on finding ways to prevent Alzheimer’s as people of the Baby Boom generation are getting older. In the United States of America, there are now 5.4 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s, among which 4 percent are under the age of 65, 6 percent have ages between 65 and 74, 45 percent are aged between 75 and 84 and the rest of 45 percent are 85 or older.11