You can’t eliminate the risk of developing Alzheimer’s 100%.

However, there are several steps you can take to lower your risk of developing the disease. A post from Amen Clinics discusses these strategies. These include factors such as diet, brain health, and utilizing multiple strategies at once.

Take care of your brain

The clinic makes a point of saying that you should care about your brain health.

In order to make sure that it stays healthy and functioning you need what they call, “brain envy.” That is, caring for and having investment in your brain as you would for other parts of your body and health.

Perform an assessment with your doctor regarding your brain’s ability to remember and think.  Then make a prevention plan together. According to Amen Clinics, risk factors for Alzheimer’s can be identified  as far as 18 years before the onset of the disease.

You should also do your best to optimize the rest of your body’s health levels. These include health indicators such as:

  • The number of hours you sleep each night
  • Body-Mass Index or BMI
  • Blood glucose levels

Amen Clinics reminds readers that you should not just improve your numbers, but actually meet optimal standards for your age group. You should take other preventative measures too: don’t smoke, become heart-healthy, treat sleep issues, and monitor hormone levels.

Also, you need to address “multiple interventions” for dealing with brain health. Don’t simply take one ginkgo tablet a day, thinking that will be enough. Instead, take a holistic perspective. Consider all aspects of brain health (blood sugar levels, inflammation, gut flora, etc).

Finally, Amen Clinics points out that you need to have a diet that eliminates foods that are unhealthy, like highly processed foods with sugar and omega-6 fats. Replace these with foods rich in healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, and fish. They say that those with diets rich in healthy proteins have a 21% less risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Want to know more about how you can reduce your chances of Alzheimer’s?

Read the full article here:  “7 Steps to Reduce Your Risk of Losing Your Mind as You Age.”