Many Dutch people do not know which lifestyle factors could play a role in developing Alzheimer's disease. This is the conclusion of the International Foundation for Alzheimer's Research (ISAO) from a study presented yesterday.
There is as yet no cure for this debilitating brain disease. However, studies show that a healthy brain, healthy blood vessels and a healthy heart can significantly reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer's.
The research shows that two-thirds of the respondents (66,8 percent) think that exercise plays no role in preventing Alzheimer's disease. That is not correct. Regular exercise, such as sports, promotes blood circulation and is therefore important for a healthy brain.
Of those surveyed, 38 percent do not know that excessive body weight is a risk factor for getting Alzheimer's. And almost half of the 15.000 respondents do not know that sugar, diabetes or taking sleeping pills play a role.
The study also shows that more than half (58 percent) of people think that drinking alcohol plays a role in getting Alzheimer's. No studies have shown that drinking alcohol plays a direct role in developing the disease.
Scientists strongly suspect that a healthy brain does play a major role in preventing and delaying Alzheimer's. That is why a healthy lifestyle is very important.
Recently saw a program on German TV, where it was scientifically proven that, for example, dancing can make an enormous contribution to the prevention of Alzheimer's. Especially learning new dances and movements, where one has to activate both movement and the brain, can reduce the Alzheimer's risk by up to 70%.
I was recently at a lecture about the functioning of the brains of seniors and it was also pointed out that enough exercise (cardio and muscles) and learning new activities such as dancing, but also a language course, significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. .
Forgetting to move seems logical to me for these patients
Dirk De Witte, we are talking about prevention, at the stage you mentioned it is called medical treatment, and resources are very limited there.
There is indeed no cure for Alzheimer's yet, but it is known that this will not last very long!!
People in their early fifties and even younger people will never get Alzheimer's again, which is a pity for those who are (much) older.
Smoking, little exercise, and some genetic predisposition are important factors that make the disease more likely to develop.