Preventing Alzheimer’s

“Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.” Robert Browning (1812 – 1889), English poet and playwright

When two separate news items on different timelines, but pertaining to the same subject matter of Alzheimer’s, labeled on the late former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the country music superstar Glenn Campbell, I felt that the disease is one of the biggest concerns many of us think about when we get older. While you might have thought of expecting the worse and hoping for the best; crossing your fingers that fate might spare you from Alzheimer’s, research have shown encouraging results on the prevention of disease through healthy lifestyle changes. Harvard Medical School came out with these five steps to prevent Alzheimer’s.

Five steps in Alzheimer’s prevention

1. Maintain a healthy weight. Cut back on calories and increase physical activity if you need to shed some pounds.

2. Check your waistline. To accurately measure your waistline, use a tape measure around the narrowest portion of your waist (usually at the height of the navel and lowest rib). A National Institutes of Health panel recommends waist measurements of no more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.

3. Eat mindfully. Emphasize colorful, vitamin-packed vegetables and fruits; whole grains; protein sources such as fish, lean poultry, tofu, and beans and other legumes; plus healthy fats. Cut down on unnecessary calories from sweets, sodas, refined grains like white bread or white rice, unhealthy fats, fried and fast foods, and mindless snacking. Keep a close eye on portion sizes, too.

4. Exercise regularly. This simple step does great things for your body. Regular physical activity helps control weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, biking, rowing) can also help chip away total body fat and abdominal fat over time. Aim for 2 1/2 to 5 hours weekly of brisk walking (at 4 mph). Or try a vigorous exercise like jogging (at 6 mph) for half that time.

5. Keep an eye on important health numbers. In addition to watching your weight and waistline, ask your doctor whether your cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar are within healthy ranges. Exercise, weight loss if needed, and medications