This progressive and neurodegenerative disease causes irreversible damage to our brain. Due to the increase in life expectancy globally, it is estimated that in the next 40 years the number of those affected today will have tripled.
The Spanish Society of Neurology offers us 7 ways to hinder or avoid Alzheimer’s:
Eliminate tobacco
Tobacco is the origin or enhancer of so many diseases that it should be eradicated from our lives in a fulminating way. We have to take into account that smokers have a 45% higher risk of suffering from dementia.
Take care of the diet
Although very concise studies are not available on the incidence of diet in this dementia, it is known that there are foods that protect us from it. So introduce apples, citrus fruits, pumpkin, carrots, strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, legumes and fish into your diet.
Take care of our heart
If we take care of our heart we take care of our brain. One of the risk factors for Alzheimer’s are cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes and obesity. Many of these diseases are a direct consequence of our lifestyle.
Protect our head
There seems to be a relationship between suffering a severe head injury with loss of consciousness and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s tomorrow. So let’s not expose this area of our body to that risk. Let’s protect it appropriately when necessary, such as at work or when playing sports.
Perform physical exercise
There are studies that show that staying physically active reduces the appearance of dementias in general and Alzheimer’s in particular. We do not have to go running to join the gym, we can do it, it would be enough to walk at a good pace at least 30 minutes a day.
Socialize
Being with and relating to other people makes our brain active and alert. It keeps you working so it helps us prevent this disease.
Train the brain
Just as we must have a good physical exercise routine, we have to maintain it with our brain. It will serve to prevent, or at least delay, the onset of Alzheimer’s. Everything is valid. Reading, learning a language, doing crosswords or sudokus, joining a course, doing mathematical calculations, everything that makes our minds work is positive.
Javier Chirivella Garrido, neuropsychologist and member of Saluspot
