HWN Suggests

‘A Rinsing of the Brain.’ New Research Shows How Sleep Could Ward Off Alzheimer's Disease

Each of us carts around a 3-lb. universe that orchestrates everything we do: directing our conscious actions of moving, thinking and sensing, while also managing body functions we take for granted, like breathing, keeping our hearts beating and digesting our food. It makes sense that such a bustling world of activity would need rest. Which is what, for decades, doctors thought sleep was all about. Slumber was when all the intricate connections and signals involved in the business of shuttling critical brain chemicals around went off duty, taking time to recharge. We’re all familiar with this restorative role of sleep for the brain–pulling an all-nighter or staying awake during a red-eye flight…

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Featured

 Scientists Finally Discover Why Exercise Cuts Alzheimer’s Risk...

In a study published Friday in the journal Neuron, the researchers found that the hormone irisin, which circulates through the body during exercise, can help reduce deposits of a protein fragment called amyloid beta in a patient’s brain cells.

 Seven healthy habits may help cut dementia risk, study says

Seven healthy habits and lifestyle factors may play a role in reducing the risk of dementia, according to a two decade-long study. Being active, eating a better diet, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, keeping normal blood pressure, controlling cholesterol and having low blood sugar in middle age may all lower the chances of developing conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease later in life, research suggests.

Articles of Interest

Alzheimer's, memory, and how to keep our brains healthy as we age

The prospect of a neurological condition like Alzheimer's or ALS can be terrifying. But these illnesses affect us all. Neuroscientist and novelist Lisa Genova asks us to confront that reality head-on.

Coffee and tea could lower your risk of dementia

A new survey of hundreds of thousands of adults cannot show a causal link, though.

Doctors Say a Third of Dementia Cases Could be Prevented

For any condition—including dementia—any ways to prevent it before it can cause symptoms or damage is the most reliable way to control it. And that prevention doesn’t always have to come in the form of a pill, vaccine or liquid drug.

Don’t forget to floss: the science behind dementia and the four things you should do to prevent it

A picture is emerging of a healthy lifestyle which is key to the condition’s prevention – exercise, being sociable, and looking after your ears

How Exercise Lowers the Risk of Alzheimer’s by Changing Your Brain

More and more studies are showing how regular exercise benefits the brain, and in particular, the aging brain. What’s less clear is how exactly exercise counters the cognitive decline that comes with aging and diseases like Alzheimer’s.

The High-Stakes Allure of an Anti-Alzheimer’s Diet

For Mosconi and her colleague Richard Isaacson, who founded and directs the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic, the first of its kind in the United States and still one of only a few in the world, the answer to that question has involved a shift in approach: from cure to prevention. Over the past decade, observational studies have revealed patterns that seem to link Alzheimer’s with exercise, sleep, cognitive stimulation, and, especially, diet. Based on the patterns in the data, it seems as though such so-called lifestyle factors make up to half a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

To Stave Off Alzheimer's, Learn a Language?

Even late in life, picking up a new tongue can slow effects of aging, expert says.

What Can You Do to Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?

A leading researcher on Alzheimer’s discusses the latest tools for detecting the disease, health steps you can take and what advances he sees for the next 10 years

What if You Knew Alzheimer’s Was Coming for You?

Simple blood tests may soon be able to deliver alarming news about your cognitive health.

What Science Tells Us About Preventing Dementia

There are no instant, miracle cures. But recent studies suggest we have more control over our cognitive health than we might think. It just takes some effort.

Resources

5 Measures That May Lower Your Alzheimer’s Risk

Exercise, not smoking, moderate drinking, a Mediterranean diet and mentally stimulating activities were linked to a lower Alzheimer’s risk.

CDC

Promoting healthy aging and reducing the risk of dementia is a national priority. Goal 6 of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease promotes health behaviors such as increasing physical activity, eating a healthy diet, and quitting cigarette smoking and excessive drinking.