Dementia and Alzheimer’s, good habits to reduce the risk of facing the problem
Dementia is not a specific disease but a prolonged period deterioration of mental functions leading to limits of personal autonomy. Of the more than 100 causes of dementia, the best known is Alzheimer’s. This is a neurovegetative disease which, at the moment, has no cure. The triggering mechanism is not known but what is known is that, in almost all cases, it is not a hereditary disease of genetic origin. In Alzheimer’s disease we see an abnormal accumulation (which starts silently even decades earlier in the brain) of a series of proteins (tau and β-amyloid). What is known is that environmental factors such as stress, diet or environmental toxicity can cause gradual changes in the genes that cause dementia.
Can dementia and Alzheimer’s be prevented?
The most obvious question when faced with such a disease is whether it can be prevented. Some major health organizations think so the World Health Organization or the Lancet Commission. And the change in risk factors is one of the avenues that are sought and should be followed. For the researchers at University College London, there are mainly a dozen risk factors that should be modified. These include excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, smoking, depression, social isolation, physical inactivity and environmental pollution. Therefore, today it is certain that certain habits can improve the health of us of our most important engines. Among these habits: moderate physical activity, a healthy and balanced diet, regular mental activity, social relationships, controlled stress, limited alcohol consumption and absolute cessation of tobacco.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s, what are the good habits to reduce the risks?
From a medical point of view, good habits are reflected on the brain through modus vivendi expressed by two words: strength and resilience. In the term resistence health care includes anything that helps the brain stay healthy or delay problems. Good nutrition and good rest are among the first aids. There resilience instead it is a mechanism that allows the brain to deal with any injury by compensating for the damage. But why do some people get Alzheimer’s and others don’t? If the brain is damaged, then also comes into play Cognitive Reserve (so defined by the American Professor Stern at the beginning of the century). A combination of capabilities that allow the brain to deal with damage. The brain can thus develop greater resilience, activating alternative brain networks or cognitive strategies that help it defend itself from criticality. In simpler words, it seems confirmed that a good bonus vivendi and periodic control of risk factors may have a concrete influence on the possibility of developing the disease. Control of hypertension and cholesterol, nutrition and more balanced lifestyle habits are thus golden rules for prevention. In conclusion, there is no exact way to prevent dementia, but it is certain that some changes in our daily life can greatly help in avoiding it.