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Reducing Your Risk of Alzheimer Disease

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA
En Español (Spanish Version)
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The cause of Alzheimer disease is not known. Living a healthy lifestyle may help lower the risk. Here are some tips:

  • Exercise regularly. Aim for 150 minutes or more of physical activity each week.
  • Eat a healthful diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, seeds, olive oil, and fish.
  • Drinking alcohol may help decrease the risk, but it should be used in moderation. This means no more than 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. Drinking too much can increase the risk of dementia.
  • Stop smoking.
  • Reach or maintain a healthy weight.
  • Manage high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
  • Cognitive training programs may maintain brain function.
REFERENCES:

Alzheimer dementia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/alzheimer-dementia. Updated August 9, 2019. Accessed October 8, 2019.

Alzheimer's disease medications fact sheet. National Institute on Aging website. Available at: https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-medications-fact-sheet. Updated April 2, 2018. Accessed October 8, 2019.

Atri A. The Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Spectrum: Diagnosis and Management. Med Clin North Am. 2019 Mar;103(2):263-293.

Risk factors. Alzheimer’s Association website. Available at: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_causes_risk_factors.asp. Accessed October 9, 2019.

What is Alzheimer's? Alzheimer’s Association website. Available at: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp. Accessed October 8, 2019.

Last reviewed September 2019 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Rimas Lukas, MD  Last Updated: 10/27/2020