When we talk about a disease, the first thing people think about is avoiding it by all possible means . However, they do not act, on many occasions, as they should. The reasons are various, such as laziness or lack of knowledge, among other factors. One of the questions that scientists are asking the most today is whether it is possible to work for the prevention of Alzheimer’s or whether, simply, this disease appears due to specific facts that cannot be controlled. Perhaps, as if it happens with other types of problems, it is not about correcting a diet or doing more sports, but rather we are talking about a much more complicated world in which we can hardly do anything. We solve all your doubts below.
Alzheimer’s prevention, is it possible?
To talk about the prevention of Alzheimer’s is to immerse oneself in a multitude of studies that many scientists have developed in order to save many families great suffering. This is because it is not a disease that exclusively affects an individual, but also all the people around them suffer the consequences of a very cruel evil that in most cases advances devastating everything that is found. .
When we talk about Alzheimer’s we are referring to the most common cause of dementia . The fact that it is a neurodegenerative disease means that it is progressive and, above all, today, irreversible. To the above, it is added that it is the first cause of neurological disability . Likewise, in modern societies it causes great economic and social costs. According to the latest research, based on a report by Alzheimer’s Disease International , the number of people affected by dementia will exceed 130 million in 2050.
Faced with such a serious problem, the prevention of Alzheimer’s is increasingly being explored. To delve into this topic, it is essential to focus on the appearance of this disease . Likewise, it is more than necessary to bet on healthy lifestyle habits that benefit brain health as time goes by.
Alzheimer’s prevention strategies
In recent years, Alzheimer’s disease has been understood in many different ways. Today we are already aware that Alzheimer’s is characterized by its long duration and that damage to the brain begins to occur even up to twenty years before the first symptoms begin to occur. For this reason, many people have been interested in dedicating their careers to creating Alzheimer’s prevention strategies . The objective is clear: to delay or, directly, to eliminate the symptoms that can occur in the future.
As is well known, today there is no type of medication that works against Alzheimer’s disease. However, various clinical trials are underway in which many health professionals have great hope to transform the current reality that exists in the face of this disease . Now, scientists not only care about finding a drug that helps people with Alzheimer’s feel good, but they are also directly focused on preventing this condition . In this way, it would be possible to avoid a difficult process that currently affects many families, even other sectors that do not know how to act in such cases.
Alzheimer’s prevention would be aimed at people with very mild or cognitively healthy symptoms. These professionals are aware of the importance of acting before neuronal loss occurs, which is what causes dementia.
Lack of funding
On the other hand, there are some drawbacks that hold back these Alzheimer’s prevention studies . One of them is that only 5% of the budget is offered for this type of strategy, which is allocated to the study of dementias . The remaining percentage is directed to studies related to diagnosis, the search for causes, treatment and cure; and to the accompaniment and care of the sick person. However, it is true that as time passes, the budget for Alzheimer’s prevention strategies is beginning to increase .
Secondary prevention of Alzheimer’s
When we talk about secondary prevention of Alzheimer’s we are referring to treating the disease before the first symptoms appear. All the trials that have taken place thus far have failed in Phase 3, a very frustrating fact that has ended the aspirations of many scientists to end this disease. Some of the assumptions they have come up with is that these types of failures have occurred because the administration of the drug has been too late . That is, the fact that the brain already has certain injuries causes them to be irreversible. Taking into account the above, it only remains to continue advancing in the different investigations to be able to one day reach the goal that would help a large part of society live more calmly.
Now, you also have to keep in mind that the research that is taking place today must focus on the silent preclinical phase of the disease . This, as we have said before, begins decades before the symptoms in the affected person begin to manifest. For this reason, secondary prevention in Alzheimer’s wants to modify the progress of the disease in apparently healthy people, but in those who begin to make evident brain changes that can be detected from specific biomarkers.
In this way, the conclusion is quite clear, and that is that you have to start working in previous stages , that is, in those in which people do not have any symptoms. Thus, the neurodegeneration process could be slowed down, thus ending the dementia phase or delaying its onset as much as possible.
Primary prevention of Alzheimer’s
If we focus on the primary prevention of Alzheimer’s we would be talking about a set of practices that could reduce the causes that would be affecting the onset of the disease. Thus, some conclusions have been reached by being aware that what benefits the heart also benefits the brain . What’s more, it is thought that betting on a healthy life could avoid one in three cases. We talk about some important points to keep in mind.
Control cardiovascular risk factors
Some of these factors are hypertension, cholesterol, smoking, obesity or diabetes. In this way, we would have to work to get away from this type of disease with everything in our power.
Healthy diet
A healthy diet affects our entire body in many ways . For example, it makes us feel more energetic and prevents many diseases from appearing. In this way, do not forget to include nuts, olive oil, fruit, fish or vegetables in your diet.
Physical activity
Physical activity is essential when it comes to caring for and protecting our body . It will be enough to walk, ride a bike or perform certain stretches moderately three times a week.
Active mind
Activating the brain is essential for the prevention of Alzheimer’s . For this reason, read, do crosswords, sign up for courses and constantly learn new skills.
