This article is dedicated to the memory of my mother-in-law, Rasha Malca bas Moshe Dovid, who after more than a decade of Dementia, was Nifteres last month. \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other dementias pose serious health risks. Alzheimer\u2019s is the fifth leading cause of death for Americans over 65. \u00a0In the next decades, the number of cases worldwide is expected to nearly triple, from 46.8 million in 2015 to 131.5 million in 2050. And another 15%\u201320% of older adults are diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to the Alzheimer\u2019s Association. <\/span><\/p>\n The deterioration of physical functions is mistakenly thought to be a part of natural aging. \u00a0For instance the decline in muscle mass at 1% per year from our early thirties is only because we aren\u2019t using our muscles. \u00a0Learning and sitting at computers are not physical labor that builds muscle mass. \u00a0Deterioration in heart and lung efficiency is also much more pronounced in sedentary people as opposed to active individuals. \u00a0If we incorporate resistance training for our muscle and do something aerobic, even a moderate to brisk walk, most days of the week, then the statistics on these deteriorations become almost irrelevant. \u00a0All of this also holds true of our brain function also. \u00a0Brain power doesn\u2019t have to wane as we age. According to Rowe and Kahn 1999, popular myths that senility, confusion, memory loss, \u201csenior moments\u201d and worse are normal parts of growing older are just not true. \u00a0\u00a0As a matter of fact, the research overwhelmingly suggests that cognitive function in old age is reflective of how people live: Nutrition, stress, environment, physical activity, sleep and relationships and even individual views on aging play a role. And recent advances in neuroscience suggest that aging adults retain the ability to improve their neural networks and cognitive function\u2014a concept scientists call neuroplasticity. \u00a0We can break down the prevention of Dementia into two main categories, the risks of disease and the risk of unhealthy lifestyle. <\/span><\/p>\n Disease Risks<\/b><\/p>\n Cardiovascular and metabolic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high blood-cholesterol levels and obesity significantly affect a person\u2019s chances of developing dementia. In fact, cardiovascular disease or diabetes double the risk (Alzheimer\u2019s Society 2016). Other conditions, such as kidney disease, anxiety and sleep apnea, have been linked to dementia in some studies. \u00a0In order to reduce your risks of heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, eat a diet that has a large variety of vegetables and some fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats and include nuts and seeds on a daily basis. \u00a0Stay active and include formal exercise in your weekly routine. \u00a0If you can manage the four plus two formula of at least 4 aerobic sessions and 2 resistance training sessions will serve you well to reduce your risk of all major diseases greatly.<\/span><\/p>\n Lifestyle Risks<\/b><\/p>\n There is overwhelming evidence that certain lifestyle factors play a significant role in dementia risk. Most of these factors are also closely linked to the risk of cardiovascular disease, basically what is good for your heart is good for your head. <\/span>The three primary lifestyle risk factors are physical inactivity, smoking and an unhealthy diet<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0Reducing stress, staying hydrated and getting enough sleep are also integral for overall health and preventing dementia. \u00a0Before we talk about what actions to take specifically in order to keep our minds functioning well, let\u2019s have a look at the basic way the brain in which the brain executes cognitive functions.<\/span><\/p>\n Brain Function<\/b><\/p>\n There are a variety of cognitive tasks we perform daily, such as reasoning, memory, attention, language and physical movement. These play key roles in our lives, but arguably the most important cognitive task is executive function\u2014encompassing the higher-level skills that control and coordinate other cognitive abilities. Executive function is loosely divided into organizational and regulatory abilities:<\/span><\/p>\n Organization<\/b> includes attention, planning, problem-solving, working memory, cognitive flexibility and abstract thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n Regulation<\/b> includes self-control, initiation of action, emotional regulation, inhibitory control, moral reasoning and decision-making.<\/span><\/p>\n Cognitive decline usually affects specific aspects of executive function. For example, people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) may have significant memory loss (forgetting important information they would previously have recalled with ease, such as appointments, conversations or recent events), while others may lose thinking skills (ability to make sound decisions or to judge the time or sequence of steps needed to complete a complex task). Typically, memory impairments happen first. A decline in thinking skills may indicate a progression toward dementia. While those with MCI are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease, they don\u2019t always get it. In some cases, MCI reverts to normal cognition, according to the Alzheimer\u2019s Association.<\/span><\/p>\n Why Exercise Works<\/b><\/p>\n Study after study show that aerobic exercise and resistance training are good for the brain. If frequency and intensity are sufficient, these forms of exercise can have a significant effect on executive function. \u00a0Three recent studies prove this point–Bamidis et al. 2014; Hotting & Roder 2013; Szuhany, Bugatti & Otto 2015. \u00a0More cardiovascular fitness is generally associated with more cognitive function plus better brain size and structure in cross-sectional studies of older adults. While regular aerobic exercise can improve cognitive function in older adults, it is unclear whether the cognitive benefits are directly due to improvements in cardiovascular fitness (Hotting & Roder 2013). In other words, the exercise, regardless of physiological benefit has its own unique benefit to your executive brain function!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Exercise increases something called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The central nervous system has high concentrations of BDNF. \u00a0Higher levels of BDNF are also associated with better spatial, episodic and verbal memory, while lower levels of BDNF\u2014particularly in older adults\u2014have been linked to a smaller hippocampus and may contribute to memory impairment. \u00a0BDNF levels can increase after just a single session of aerobic exercise and rise even more with regular exercise. Regular resistance exercise has also been shown to improve cognitive function.<\/span><\/p>\n Get outdoors<\/b><\/p>\n The data on aerobic and resistance exercise is complicated by numerous variables, including which type of exercise is performed and in what setting. Working out in group settings potentially provides more social stimulation than exercising independently. Outdoor exercise may provide greater sensory stimulation than exercising indoors. Hiking, for example, requires better navigation and coordination skills than walking on a treadmill. Social and cognitive stimulation have proved to be important modulating factors, but it is difficult to accurately assess their contributions to overall results (Hotting & Roder 2013). <\/span><\/p>\n One who exercises outdoors can get a lot more benefit that staying in the gym on a treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike. \u00a0One who exercises outdoors is likely to exercise a little longer and the benefits of the sun go beyond just getting vitamin D. \u00a0Although we tend to think that the benefits from sunshine are all Vitamin D related there is much more that isn\u2019t. \u00a0UVA and UVB rays help prevent autoimmune disease. Sunshine helps limit oxidative DNA damage thus reducing melanoma cancer risk (YES–reduces when not overdone), as reported 15 May 2005 in Cancer Research. \u00a0This is the very cancer that we\u2019ve been told is caused primarily by overexposure to the sun. \u00a0Obviously a happy medium is needed. \u00a0And if you are looking for a natural opiate, then you are looking for more endorphins. \u00a0Yes, sunlight when absorbed into the skin helps give us more of those too\u2014so it can really lift your mood! \u00a0And a recent study even showed that people who get outdoors can end up sleep better too. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As we age<\/b><\/p>\n Just because we are aging doesn\u2019t mean that there has to be a deterioration in our mental or physical health. \u00a0As a matter of fact, the human body can still improve in many ways through our 80\u2019s. \u00a0It is important to take note of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n We have always thought that certain diseases were inevitable and not preventable. \u00a0And sometimes we can\u2019t do anything to prevent various illnesses. \u00a0However, just like we found out a while ago that we can cut our odds of getting cancer and heart disease greatly, the same is true of dementia. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cadd hours to our day, days to your year and years to our life\u201d.<\/i><\/b> \u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This article is dedicated to the memory of my mother-in-law, Rasha Malca bas Moshe Dovid, who after more than a decade of Dementia, was Nifteres last month. \u00a0 Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other dementias pose serious health risks. Alzheimer\u2019s is the fifth leading cause of death for Americans over 65. \u00a0In the next decades, the number<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":23577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\n\n