For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, which is a general term for loss of memory, problem-solving, and thinking abilities that interfere with daily life.

Dementia is a progressive disorder that worsens over time. Symptoms include memory loss of recent events and difficulty with thinking and reasoning. As the disease progresses, symptoms can include language problems, disorientation, and behavioral changes.

Alzheimer’s disease is a top 10 leading cause of death in the United States. Currently about 7 million people in the U.S. are struggling with Alzheimer’s, and about 600,000 people are diagnosed with the condition each year.

Last summer, the Lancet Commission on dementia published a new report on prevention, intervention, and care. The report identified 14 risk factors for dementia and stated that nearly half of all dementias could be prevented by eliminating these 14 risk factors: less education, head injury, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, hearing loss, depression, infrequent social contact, air pollution, vision loss, and high cholesterol.

In a previous post, we discussed lifestyle choices you can take to help control the nine risk factors that don’t involve your eating or exercise habits. Now I want to discuss the role of exercise and diet in controlling risk factors for dementia.

Stay Physically Active

It’s estimated that physical inactivity is responsible for 13% of Alzheimer’s cases.

Anything that’s good for your body is also good for your mind. The health of the mental and spiritual aspects of your mind are directly affected by the physical health of your entire body.

One of the largest studies on physical activity, published in 2023, found that participating in physical activity just 5 or more times per month between the ages of 36 and 69 was associated with significantly higher cognition at age 69. The study found no difference between those who were moderately physically active and those who were most physically active. And it didn’t even matter if someone had cardiovascular disease. The most important factor was being physically active throughout life.

A randomized control trial published in 2022 investigated whether a 5-year exercise intervention was associated with cognitive function in older adults. Average age of participants in the study was 78. The study found that both men and women in their 70s who did not exercise at least twice a week had a 35% greater risk of mild cognitive impairment.

What’s amazing about both studies is how a small amount of exercise made a big difference over time. Anyone can find the time to exercise five times a month or two times a week. Our 20 Minutes A Week along with our recommendation of walking 5 times a week covers all the bases.

Exercise affects cognition by increasing blood flow to the brain, which ultimately reduces inflammation that could damage brain cells. It also enhances brain neuroplasticity. People who engage in moderate to vigorous exercise on more days have relatively larger brain volumes than those who do less exercise.

Since exercise affects the whole body, no single therapeutic intervention can mimic all the effects of exercise.

Eat to Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity in mid-life is a huge risk factor for dementia. Waist circumference seems to be the big factor. A study of more that 5 million participants found that a larger waist versus a smaller waist was associated with a greater risk of dementia.

If you’re obese, losing weight can make a huge difference. A metanalysis of 13 studies involving over 500 participants found that losing as little as 5 pounds can improve cognitive function over 6 months.

One of the biggest roles obesity plays in dementia has to do with elevated cortisol levels which increase inflammation. The other negative health consequences come from obesity’s role increasing heart disease and diabetes. Eating in a way that prevents insulin resistance may be one of the most important things you can do to prevent Alzheimer’s, since it’s closely associated with an increase in amyloid plaques and tau tangles—two of the most common abnormal protein formations that damage the brain.

Follow our Simple 9^© nutritional program, one of your best nutritional bets for reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s:

• Drinking at least 96 ounces of ice cold water will help you burn an extra 96 calories a day.
• Eating 2 or more servings of fruit a day will keep your cravings for packaged, processed foods in check.
• Eating 4 or more servings of vegetables a day will fill you up on fewer calories to prevent weight loss as you age.
• Eating 2 to 3 servings of “good meat” every day will reduce neuroinflammation that could damage brain cells.
• Eliminating ultra-processed foods will keep your brain cells healthy. Check out this post I wrote in March explaining how ultra-processed foods can change your brain in just five days.

Alzheimer’s is probably the most frustrating disease to deal with. Do your part to keep you and your loved ones strong, healthy, and lean so we can all have strong minds.

Stay Strong,

Bo Railey