Levels of one neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, are particularly low in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. Over time, different areas of the brain shrink.
Vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to the accumulation of homocysteine. Too much homocysteine in the blood is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
The causes probably include a combination of age-related changes in the brain, along with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. The importance of any one of these factors in increasing or decreasing the risk of Alzheimer's disease may differ from person to person.
Vitamin C has been shown to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease by 20% when taken with vitamin E. To take advantage of its fullest benefits, you should take a dose of 2,000 mg of vitamin C per day.
As Alzheimer's worsens, people experience greater memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. Problems can include wandering and getting lost, trouble handling money and paying bills, repeating questions, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, and personality and behavior changes.
Memory problems are typically one of the first signs of the disease. Decline in non-memory aspects of cognition, such as finding the right word, trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, and impaired reasoning or judgment, may also signal the early stages of Alzheimer's.
Is Alzheimer's passed on by mother or father? Alzheimer's is not passed on by the mother more than the father, or vice versa. A mother or father may pass on an “Alzheimer's gene” or mutation that increases your risk. Even if both your parents pass on a risk gene, your Alzheimer's risk is higher, but not certain.
Vitamins E and C
They're powerful antioxidants that deliver benefits such as reduced inflammation and protection against free radicals. Research shows that people who eat a diet rich in these nutrients may have a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
The most commonly known supplements are Omega-3s, Vitamin E, Gingko and Turmeric. Omega-3s: The MIND diet, a nutrition plan developed for the prevention of dementia, was developed over a more than 20-year study of thousands of individuals.
Alzheimer's disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells. One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells.
Change in routine
This means that a sudden disruption in routine may cause dementia symptoms to get worse. This is especially true if a person experiences stress. Some changes that might trigger worsening symptoms include: moving to an assisted living facility or a nursing home.
There are about twice as many women over 65 with Alzheimer's as there are men over 65 with the condition. This is mostly because women tend to live longer than men. However, women over the age of 80 still have a slightly higher risk of getting Alzheimer's than men their age.
Many foods in the Western diet have been identified as risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer's, including red and processed meats, refined grains, sweets, and desserts. Excess alcohol intake, saturated fatty acids, and foods with a high number of calories are also risk factors for Alzheimer's.
Several lines of evidence indicate that B12 hypovitaminosis is linked to AD. In this review, the biochemical pathways involved in AD that are affected by vitamin B12, focusing on APP processing, Aβ fibrillization, Aβ-induced oxidative damage as well as tau hyperphosphorylation and tau aggregation, are summarized.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
Berries and dark-skinned fruits which are rich in antioxidants. According to the Alzheimer's Association, some of the fruits that pack the most punch are blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, oranges, red grapes and cherries. Coffee and chocolate are surprisingly good for you.
In the CAIDE study, coffee drinking of 3-5 cups per day at midlife was associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD by about 65% at late-life. In conclusion, coffee drinking may be associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD.
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals found in bananas help preserve nerve tissue against neurotoxins, which deteriorate nervous tissue when exposed to its substance. This may also help in preventing neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
Zinc: Zinc is essential to healthy functioning of the body, including the brain. Many older adults tend to not have high enough levels of zinc in their bodies, and it is especially low in those with Alzheimer's.
As the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is still unknown, there's no certain way to prevent the condition. But a healthy lifestyle can help reduce your risk.
In some cases, if a person has symptoms at an early age with a strong family history of Alzheimer's, a neurologist or other medical specialist may order a genetic test for APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2. Although APOE testing is also available, the results cannot fully predict who will or won't develop Alzheimer's.
Studies of family history say that if you have a close relative who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease—the most common form of dementia in older adults—your risk increases by about 30%.