Six lifestyle changes to protect your brain

It is never too early to be concerned for your mental well-being. According to an article in The Huffington Post, by the year 2030, 615,000 people are said to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, that annual number is expected to be just under 1 million, with someone developing Alzheimer’s every 33 seconds.
Those are very harrowing statistics. Thankfully, there are things that we can do to hopefully decrease those numbers.

Dr. Cindy Haines shares six lifestyle changes to protect your brainpower:
  1. Avoid Other Chronic Conditions – People with other chronic conditions, like diabetes, are about twice as likely to develop dementia. Obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure are all potentially chronic problems that you can control.
  2. Try Mediterranean Food – The Mediterranean diet is gaining popularity in its ability to help prevent dementia. The diet consists of fruits and vegetables, whole-grain bread and other whole-grain foods, beans, seeds and nuts.
  3. Stay Active – Regular exercise keeps your blood vessels healthy, which can help prevent vascular dementia and other forms of Alzheimer’s.
  4. Avoid Tobacco Smoke – Smoking has been proven to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, new research is suggesting that simply being exposed to tobacco smoke can also increase that risk, so avoiding it altogether is the best bet.
  5. Keep Your Brain Busy and Stay Socially Engaged – Studies have shown that people who keep their brains active are less likely to develop dementia. Activities like crossword puzzles and reading increase your cognitive reserve.
  6. Keep an Eye on Depression – Currently, there still needs to be more research involving exactly how depression and dementia are linked, but studies show that there is a strong connection between the two.
As mentioned, it is important to start taking precautions to prevent dementia, no matter your age.

Courtesy of CareNotes: The Home Care Newsletter

Home Care Assistance offers the highest quality 24/7 live-in home care in the Region of Halton (Oakville, Burlington, Halton Hills, and Milton), Region of Peel (Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon), Hamilton and surrounding areas.

  • Spread The Love
  • Digg This Post
  • Tweet This Post
  • Stumble This Post
  • Submit This Post To Delicious
  • Submit This Post To Reddit
  • Submit This Post To Mixx

1 Responses to “Six lifestyle changes to protect your brain”

  1. mrBig says:

    Well put together! As science progresses, our view of healthy living keeps on changing. However, the thing that seems to combine most healthy matters, new or old, is evolutionary compatible nutrition. Our bodies have adapted to certain way of eating over the tens or hundreds of thousands of years. The modern diet which is rich carbohydrates and low in nutrients due to high processing is a new thing to our bodies and this causes all kinds of troubles in the long run.

    Think of it this way, a modern overweight person can actually be starving because of low nutritional food.

    ____________________________________________________________
    www.livingcheck.com

Leave a Reply

What Do You Think?


 
Converted by Ritesh Sanap | Sponsored by Downloaddeck.com Powered by Giant Themes