Preventing Alzheimers
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ing, misplacing things, decreased or poor judgment and withdrawal from work or social activities.
Alzheimer’s disease affects 5.3 million Americans, and 200,000 in Illinois alone.
There is no known cure. Southern Illinois University School of Medicine has been studying the disease at its Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders in Springfield for more than 20 years. The center, established by the legislature in 1987, serves 93 counties in the state (excluding Chicago and the collar counties) and works with 28 hospitals, clinics and mental health centers across the state. Scientists are currently working on a variety of research projects in an attempt to diagnose and treat the disease.
The conference brought together health care providers, Alzheimer’s caregivers and researchers to discuss the latest findings. Though most presentations focused on the more technical, scientific research, Dr. Ron Zec, an associate professor at SIU, chose to emphasize what he believes the public needs to know about Alzheimer’s — the importance of healthy living as a strategy for prevention.
The disease is a product of three things, he says: aging, genes and the environment. Since people can neither control aging nor genetics, they have to change the environment they live in, he says.
“I kind of view Alzheimer’s as a disease of aging,” he explains. “I have a sneaking suspicion that to cure Alzheimer’s, you’d have to cure aging.”
However, people can take actions that may reduce the effect of possible Alzheimer’s risk factors. Risk factors like diet, physical activity and heart health are lifestyle-related, and thus modifiable, Zec says.
According to Zec’s research, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease doubles every five years after age 65, so if seniors can delay the onset by five years, it could cut the number of people affected in half.
“That is dramatic and that is a realizable goal,” he says.
An increase in obesity and diabetes during the past 20 years have put more people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s, he says. Health problems like hypertension, high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome lead not only to heart disease and diabetes, but also better the odds of developing Alzheimer’s. Metabolic syndrome includes high blood pressure, insulin resistance and central obesity (weight gain around the waist). Other risk factors include a diet high in saturated fats, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle.
If aging adults want to make a change, their best bet is to strengthen both body and mind, Zec says. Several studies have indicated an association of exercise and physical activity with higher cognitive performance and lower risk of developing dementia.
What’s healthy for the heart is healthy for the brain, he says, and evidence suggests that the same heart-healthy lifestyle changes also decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s.
“Good health factors are a near-panacea for major health conditions associated with aging,” he says. “There is a great overlap between the risk and protective factors for major medical conditions like Alzheimer’s, other dementia, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some forms of cancer and even depression.”
Currently, there are about five million individuals with Alzheimer’s in the United States, and that number is projected to grow to 7.7 million in 2025 and 16 million by 2050, Zec
