Lifestyle changes to prevent dementia

4 changes you can make after a dementia diagnosis

Move more. Increasing your heart rate with physical activity has many benefits for the brain, and the exercises don’t need to be very strenuous. “We’re not asking the patient to go to the gym and lift weights,” Onyike says. “We are asking you to walk.” He encourages his patients to walk for 30 minutes every day. Other activities could include swimming, dancing, or yoga.

Among people with Alzheimer’s disease, those who exercised regularly for more than 16 weeks—activities such as tai chi and stationary cycling while watching their route on a screen—had better cognition and were able to complete more activities of daily living than those who relied only of medications to relieve symptoms, according to a meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trials published in 2023 in the journal Brain and Behavior (in English).

“When you look at the data on exercise and the impact on brain function and health, it is extraordinary; it’s more powerful than any medication we’ve ever had,” says Dr. Brent Forester, a geriatric psychiatrist, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center in Boston and co-author of the 2022 book The Complete Family Guide to Dementia.

Improve your diet. Rather than being a restrictive eating plan, the Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables—especially leafy greens—whole grains, olive oil, nuts, and legumes. Moderate amounts of fish, poultry, dairy and eggs are also included. These foods help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which drive nerve cell loss.

A recent analysis of Rush Memory and Aging Project suggests that the Mediterranean diet may help protect the brain from damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a group of researchers reported in 2023 in the journal Neurology. Following this eating plan also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, all risk factors for dementia.

People with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disease that can cause dementia, may also benefit. In a study of 70 people with the disease, those who followed the Mediterranean diet for 10 weeks performed better on a cognitive test — especially the ability to plan ahead, pay attention and concentrate — than those who did not follow the diet, they reported. researchers in 2020 in Complementary Therapies in Medicine (in English).

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