Dr. J. Wesson Ashford has been working in Alzheimer's research for more than 20 years.
As the keynote speaker for this year's recent education conference presented by Alzheimer's Services of the Capital Area, Ashford touched on genetic research and the current medications for Alzheimer's, the disease of the brain that robs victims of their memories.
Future developments, particularly in medications, are "around the corner," said Ashford.
"I'm hoping I won't have to come and give this talk again in 10 years," he said.
"I'd rather have my Alzheimer's disease prevented, not treated," said Ashford, a researcher at the Stanford/VA Alzheimer's Center in Palo Alto, Calif.
The center conducts research into the causes and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, a disorder of the brain that, according to Ashford, affects approximately 4 million Americans today.
This year's 12th annual Education Conference on Alzheimer's Disease focused on promoting brain health.
Ashford, who is working on approaches to early detection of the disease, gave his list of 10 steps to a healthy brain, things that should better a person's odds in staying free of the disease.
1. Be proactive. "Developing preventive healthy habits like wearing a seat belt in the car or wearing a helmet when riding a bike is a simple way to protect the brain," said Ashford.
"The large frontal lobes of the brain are specifically a tool for planning ahead for the future," he said.
2. "Maximize and continue your education. People who have more education seem to have a substantially reduced risk of Alzheimer's," said Ashford.
"They might have more brain cells in the first place," he said.
Some researchers wonder if better educated persons "do better on a test and can fool a doctor," Ashford said, to laughter from the audience.
Highly educated persons, though, "may do a better job of protecting their brain," with lifestyle choices -- not getting into physical fights, wearing their seatbelts, he said.
"People who continue their education later on," through things like crossword puzzles, for example, "have less Alzheimer's," said Ashford.
"We should try to keep involved in the world as best we can," he said.
3. Keep exercising regularly. Aerobic exercise is important, because it "keeps blood vessels healthy," said Ashford, who offhandedly added that "one of the biggest shortages in this country is recreational indoor swimming pools."
Swimming, he said, "is good for our blood vessels, which is good for our brain."
Strengthening exercises decrease the risk of falling, and stretching exercises also improve a person's flexibility, which, in turn, can prevent falls.
"While there are no specific links between exercise and Alzheimer's disease, there are links between exercise and health and cognition. People can get smarter by exercising," according to a Web site that Ashford maintains, www.medafile.com.
4. Optimize social and spiritual exercise. Activities that "get us involved in groups with other people -- through things like church and social organizations" -- are good for us, said Ashford.
"People look out for each other and help each other be happier," he said. And, he added, "It takes other people to observe you."
The earlier a diagnosis is made, the earlier treatment can begin.
5. Watch your weight. People can take out their calculators to figure up their basal metabolic index (more commonly known as body mass index or BMI) to see if they're in a healthy weight range.
"To find your BMI, multiply your weight by 703, then divide that number by your height (in inches) squared," said Ashford.
A healthy number for the BMI will be in the 19-25 range, he said.
Ashford recommend people stay within a healthy BMI range by controlling their food intake and by exercise.
An elevated BMI predisposes people to type II diabetes, according to a handout Ashford provided, which harms the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
He recommends exercising 20 to 30 minutes after each meal, even if it's just walking for 15 minutes, to bring blood sugar levels down.
6. Continually develop your diet. "Try to optimize fruits and vegetables and minimize the amount of red meat you eat," said Ashford.
Citrus and blueberries -- Ashford said he eats a peanut butter and blueberry jam sandwich every day -- are especially healthful, as are green leafy vegetables.
Other recommendations he makes: deep sea, finned, oily fish in your diet (which include sardines, tuna, salmon and anchovy, among others) as well as chocolate and nuts, especially almonds.
7. Know your family history. Know about the medical problems of your family members.
"It may be important for you to know," said Ashford.
He recommends spending some time finding out about the health and causes of death of your family members, especially your parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents.
"Many diseases and longevity have important hereditary components," Ashford said in his handout.
8. Have a family clinician and have regular visits. "A family clinician is an important thing," said Ashford. "You need to be screened for diabetes, colon cancer and cholesterol levels" among other medical conditions.
He recommends people see their clinician around their 20th, 30th and 40th birthdays.
Around their 50th, people should consider, with their clinician, more frequent exams and tests.
Ashford said he'd like to see the day come when a memory test would be a routine screening device, as well.
He said that a quick, "fun" memory test can be found at his Web site (mentioned previously).
9. Monitor your cardio/cerebro/vascular health. "Don't smoke," said Ashford, who added that the invention of the cigarette-rolling machine in this country in the mid-1800s also introduced a rise in heart disease and other diseases.
Other things that people can do for the health of their heart, brain and vascular system, said Ashford, are the following:
- Learn how to reduce the risk of strokes.
- Try to keep systolic blood pressure under 130 and diastolic blood pressure under 85.
- Through regular exercise, try to keep the pulse rate under 75.
- Have a clinician check their lipid panel and manage it.
- Talk to a clinician about taking an aspirin every day. Try to keep the cholesterol level under 200.
Ashford said that an epidemiological study showed a 70 percent reduction in Alzheimer's risk for people taking statin medications to control their cholesterol.
10. Monitor your memory. According to Ashford, a researcher in Canada did a study following people for several years to see who got Alzheimer's and who didn't.
She learned that the "people who said they had a memory problem" didn't get Alzheimer's, said Ashford.
The people who said they didn't have memory problems were the ones who did get the disease, he said.
"If you're worried about your memory, that's good. Keep worrying about it," he said.
He recommends people have a family member or a clinician test their memory yearly.
"It's hard for you to know your memory's a problem," said Ashford.
"We want to get to the point where there's a memory checker in the drugstore or doctor's office," he said.
In addition to his Web site, Ashford recommended the Web site of the National Institutes of Health. The health link there has a section on seniors' health, which includes information on Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's Services of the capital area also has information on the disease at its Web site.
Another useful Web site is that of the National Alzheimer's Association.
Source: Advocate. Powered by Yellowbrix.
Learn how to be stress-free by subscribing to the ThirdAge Mental Health Insider.
