Healthy Living

The combination of social, mental and physical stimulation is the best medicine for a healthy life. So even after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, pleasurable activities that provide this “jump start” should be continued and modified as needed. Regular exercise and a nutritious diet are also important and can help the person cope better with the impact of this disorder.

On this page, you will find information on:

• Keep Your Mind Active
• Exercise
• Diet
• Memory Games & Puzzles

Keep Your Mind Active

Research indicates that staying mentally active can help slow memory loss and perhaps even lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Children and young adults build up brain “reserves” by reading and undertaking mental challenges, but older adults can continue to build these brain connections through stimulating activities. In fact, building these cognitive reserves is a lifelong process in which nerve cells (neurons) in the brain form, some die, and others interconnect. Reading progressively more challenging books, learning a musical instrument, creating art, playing chess and engaging in any mental activity all help form these vital neural connections that can last a lifetime, and appear to buffer people from cognitive decline. Fortunately, research has shown that brain reserves can be expanded throughout life, even into advanced old age.

There are many activities that can stimulate the mind. These include new and creative challenges such as learning to speak a new language or play a musical instrument, or beginning a new hobby. However, the pursuit of tried and true, favorite pastimes, such as board and card games, crossword puzzles, brain teasers and word games, is also valuable. Most of these have the added benefit of maintaining and increasing social contact with friends and family. Lately, seniors have been playing more video games and using the computer to entertain and energize their brains. Reading books, magazines and newspapers, writing and corresponding through mail and email, and even conversing and singing all provide mental stimulation. Simply turning routines into creative opportunities to expand the mind can help. Many people enjoy visiting museums and attending plays – these are also beneficial.

In a 2000 study led by Dr. Robert Friedland at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, researchers compared mental, physical and social activity levels with the rate of Alzheimer's disease. They focused on 26 lifetime "non-occupational activities," such as playing a musical instrument, gardening, engaging in physical activities and playing mentally engaging board games and found that the more active adults were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. Dr. Friedland's study found that the healthy older adults had been more mentally and physically active between the ages of 40 and 60 than those who later developed Alzheimer's disease. Intellectual activities were especially important.

Exercise your mind with these memory games & puzzles

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Exercise

Exercise may help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Lifelong exercise reduces a person's chances of developing high blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular diseases which have all been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's. New research suggests that exercise might actually shift the body's and brain's metabolic pathways toward the healthy processes that break down the amyloid precursor protein and prevent the buildup of amyloid deposits. The brain also benefits greatly from the increased blood circulation brought about and sustained by regular physical activity. Exercise will improve overall physical and mental fitness, and emotional health. It is an excellent way to release stress and maintain a healthy weight. A combination of aerobic exercise, strength training and activity to increase flexibility is recommended.

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Diet

Eat a varied diet that includes vegetables, legumes (for example, beans, peas, and seeds), fruits, whole grain and fish, and is low in saturated fat and added sugar. Consume foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in “oily” fish (for example, tuna and salmon, but also in certain oils (for example, canola and olive), nuts and seeds. Ensure that fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants (vitamins C and E) are part of your diet. Some examples include: green leafy vegetables, such as spinach; cruciferous vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower); berries, tomatoes, red grapes and carrots.

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Last Reviewed On: 05/11/09