“Your health is what you make of it. Everything you do and think either adds to the vitality, energy, and spirit you possess or takes away from it.” ― Ann Wigmore [2]
The Lifestyle Empowerment for Alzheimer’s Prevention (LEAP) program is centered on what are known as protective factors. Protective factors are the aspects of the environment that may help reduce the impact of risk factors- which increase the likelihood of negative health outcomes [9]. You can think about protective factors like wearing a helmet while riding your bike. Without a helmet, the risk of a head injury is higher because there is no protection between your head and the concert. A helmet lowers the risk of getting a head injury, because it adds a layer of protection between your head and the ground.
Sometimes, risk factors are out of our control, such as having a genetic predisposition for an illness [9]. Other times, we can influence risk factors by changes that happen over time. For example, income level could be a variable risk factor because it can change for better or worse over the course of your life [9]. By prioritizing protective factors in our lives, we can ensure that we are working to lower our risk of developing different illnesses or conditions [9]. When talking about Alzheimer’s disease, protective factors to focus on include physical activity, nutrition, social engagement, cognitive engagement, stress management, and sleep [5]. Take a look at how each of these factors can be made protective for your brain:
-Physical Activity: Aerobic exercise and resistance training both have benefits for your brain. In fact, moderate aerobic exercise can increase the amount of white and gray matter in the brain and improve your memory [3]. Resistance training, like weightlifting, also helps fight cognitive decline but it does not appear to have a direct relationship to improving memory [3]. To do the best you can for your brain, it is recommended to incorporate both types of exercise into your physical activity [3]! Having low daily physical activity levels not only increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 53%, but it also increases the likelihood of developing a condition such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity, and high cholesterol [3,10]. These medical conditions are considered risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s [10]. In order to stay your healthiest, do what you can to prevent health issues by increasing your physical activity! If you are already diagnosed with a serious medical condition, make sure you manage it correctly with the guidance of your doctor [10].
-Nutrition: The fuel that you give your body also influences how well you can fight off negative health consequences. It turns out that eating a Mediterranean based diet can help protect your brain from dementia [1,5]. A Mediterranean diet is centered on mostly whole foods: vegetables, beans, fruits, cereals, unsaturated fatty acids (like olive oil), moderate to high fish intake, and low intake of meats, dairy products, and saturated fats [5,8]. It also includes regular, moderate consumption of alcohol, typically as red wine [8]. By following this diet, the risk of developing cognitive impairment lowered by about 33% in some studies [8]. Not surprisingly though, incorporating Mediterranean nutrition into your life while also practicing regular high-intensity physical activity provides the best outcomes for cognitive health [1]. Adhering to both behaviors showed much better results than simply doing physical activity or the Mediterranean diet on their own [1].
-Social Engagement: Being socially engaged with a community requires you to use your memory and language skills, both which help your brain to stay on top of its game [10]. It is also important to engage in social contact with your friends, starting at a young age, to help build up your cognitive reserve [10]. Decreased social engagement even during middle life is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, and specifically Alzheimer’s, later in life [7]. Due to the power of social interaction, being in a relationship or being married are considered protective factors against Alzheimer’s [7,10]. Those who are widowed or single seem to not communicate as much with others, so it is very important to encourage healthy social relationships and regular social activities [7,10]. It is also interesting to note that in one study, people who demonstrated high extraversion had a lower risk of dementia [7]. Keeping up social engagement with family and friends is even more important as people age because social isolation for elderly persons puts them at a higher risk of developing dementia, even compared to those who are socially isolated earlier in life [7]. The power of connection is critical to keeping your brain happy and healthy.
-Cognitive Engagement: Activities that require an active mental effort help to build new connections in the brain and reduce the likelihood of brain shrinking [7]. Activities that count as cognitively stimulating are numerous and incorporate a variety of skills. Knitting, gardening, playing an instrument, dancing, or even watching certain TV programs can be protective factors against Alzheimer’s [7]. The goal is simple: keep your brain active and challenged by learning new things or skills [5]. Having a higher education level is considered a protective factor because it helps build up brain connections by constantly challenging your brain [10]. Learning a new language is another one of the ultimate ways to work your brain in a new way! Individuals who were bilingual showed their first symptoms of Alzheimer’s later in life compared to those that only spoke one language [10]. Think of something you have always wanted to learn how to do and start doing it! There’s no time like the present to start learning a new skill.
-Stress Management: The body’s stress response is a cornerstone to survival; however, it also comes with its negative side effects. Stress could be partially responsible for inflammation in the brain, which makes it easier for amyloid plaques to build up as Alzheimer’s develops [10]. Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, gets released during stress [4]. While this alone is not a bad thing, chronic stress causes cortisol to be released for too long, causing toxicity in the brain and damaging cells [4]. This makes the brain more susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s disease [4]. Stress is also connected to inflammation, heart disease, mental illness, physical inactivity, poor sleep, and many more health conditions that put people at a higher risk for dementia [4]. For these reasons, chronic work-related stress is one of the emerging risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease [10]. To be protective, having a centered and balanced life helps reduce the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s itself [4]. You need to know how to regulate your stress levels and adjust your emotions in order to prevent poor cognition [10].
-Sleep: Rest is a very basic human need. It is a time for your body to reset and repair itself in order to help keep you healthy. When the sleep cycle is disrupted, such as by frequent waking, the body can become stressed because its resting processes are being interrupted [6]. Sleep is also one of the times when proteins in the brain are being refolded and degraded- kind of like the brain is giving itself a deep cleaning [6]. Sleep deprivation impairs this process and can lead to degeneration of the brain [6]. Excessive sleep is not the answer though! Amyloid plaque buildup was found to be higher in individuals who were sleep deprived (< 6 hours) and those who slept too long (> 9 hours) [10]. It is critical to maintain a consistent sleep schedule to get high quality sleep to protect your cognitive functioning [10].
By making small improvements in these areas, you can influence your risk for Alzheimer’s, but it is important to remember that all of the factors are important- changing just one won’t be enough [3]! So, to help you make important decisions about your health, we are going to connect you with local resources here in Emporia, KS. Keep checking in every Thursday to learn more about how you can LEAP into the community and prioritize your brain health.
Not local to Emporia? Keep reading our blogs! There are tons of ways to find resources near you that are similar to the ones we are going to feature here. If you happen to see something you are excited about, come for a weekend visit and spend some time in our community! We would love to have you!
Sources
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[2]. Davenport, B. 54 Inspiring Healthy Lifestyle Quotes That Will Motivate You. Live Bold and Bloom. https://liveboldandbloom.com/12/quotes/health-quotes#2-short-health-quotes. December 27, 2018. Accessed June 20, 2022.
[3]. De la Rosa A, Olaso-Gonzalez G, Arc-Chagnaud C, et al. Physical exercise in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Sport and Health Sci. 2020; 9(5): 394-404. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254620300119. Accessed June 21, 2022.
[4]. Khalsa, D. Stress, meditation, and Alzheimer’s disease prevention: Where the evidence stands. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2015; 48(1): 1-12. https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad142766. Accessed June 22, 2022.
[5]. Leap!. Lifestyle Empowerment for Alzheimer’s Prevention. https://www.leapbrainpower.com. 2022. Accessed June 20, 2022.
[6]. Minakawa E, Wada K, Nagai Y. Sleep disturbance as a potential modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019; 20(4): 803. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20040803.
[7]. Povova J, Ambroz P, Bar M, et al. Epidemiological of and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease: A review. Biomed Pap Med Fac. 2012; 156(2): 108-114. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1830/50a9a5e5090a34405293d1f6862ae48856dd.pdf. Accessed June 22, 2022.
[8]. Singh B, Parsaik A, Mielke M, et al. Association of Mediterranean diet with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Alzheimers Dis. 2014; 39(2): 271-282. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946820/. Accessed June 21, 2022.
[9]. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Risk and Protective Factors Exist in Multiple Contexts. https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/20190718-samhsa-risk-protective-factors.pdf. N.d. Accessed June 21, 2022.
[10]. Zhang X, Tian Y, Wang Z, Ma Y, Tan L, Yu J. The epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease modifiable risk factors and prevention. Journal of the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2021; 8:313-321. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.14283/jpad.2021.15.pdf. Accessed June 20, 2022.