Alzheimer’s prevention: Does it exist?

Not yet. But there’s strong evidence that healthy lifestyle habits — such as diet, exercise and not smoking — may play a role in reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. However, more research is needed before any of these lifestyle factors can be considered a proven strategy to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

In particular, the Mediterranean diet has been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The Mediterranean diet is also linked to improved cognition in people who are at risk of heart and other vascular diseases.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fish and uses olive oil as the primary cooking fat. This type of diet is also a heart-healthy diet that reduces the risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. These conditions are also risk factors for dementia.

More research is needed before experts know specific ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. But here are some steps that promote good overall brain health:

• Avoid smoking.
• Control vascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
• Lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels if they’re high. Do this with treatment recommended by your healthcare professional and lifestyle changes such as exercising and eating a healthy diet.
• Eat a balanced diet — such as the Mediterranean diet — that’s rich in vegetables, fruits and lean protein, particularly protein sources containing omega-3 fatty acids.
• Be physically and socially active, including engaging in aerobic exercise.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Take care of your mental health.
• Use thinking (cognitive) skills, such as memory skills.
• Avoid head injury.
• Treat hearing loss.
• Treat vision loss.
• Limit alcohol consumption.