Exercise fights Alzheimer's Disease

Admin Number of posts : 287 Age : 46 Registration date : 2008-01-24

Quote :: ...My dad, like my mom, had some key risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Neither was well educated so they weren't challenged intellectually, and both were getting on in years. My dad is believed to have suffered a head injury and concussion as a child, while my mom had high blood pressure and a family history of Alzheimer's (at least two of her relatives had it).

Other risk factors include poor diet, strokes, high cholesterol and Down syndrome. Once linked to Alzheimer's, aluminum has generally been exonerated, but the role played by iron and other metals is still being investigated. Scientists are also looking at acrylamide, a synthetic chemical increasingly documented in a wide range of foods, from French fries to coffee, and known to cause nerve damage in humans...

...Having witnessed the mental decline of both my parents due to Alzheimer's, I am concerned about getting the disease myself. I try to optimize my chances of retaining my mental faculties by eating a healthy diet and staying physically and mentally active. And while my family history makes me vulnerable to Alzheimer's, I can't help but share the enthusiasm of Canadian scientists about an eventual cure. "I'm very optimistic about Alzheimer's," says Diamond. "I, and many others, look forward to seeing the disease brought under control in the next seven to 10 years or, perhaps, even conquered altogether." ...