Alzheimer’s can be prevented
“You have belly fat? That’s brain damage”***
I always thought that Alzheimer’s was just a fact of life.
That Alzheimer’s happens to everyone, at different ages, but that it’s inevitable.
You either die from something, or you gradually lose your memory.
But no.
A few years ago, I discovered that Alzheimer’s is preventable in about 98% of cases. When I was researching degenerative and autoimmune diseases that I might have (but that’s another story).
I’m not a doctor, and I haven’t done enough research on this… (I should!)
But here are the highlights I found:
1. Alzheimer’s starts in our twenties. Our bodies start to gradually decline around 20-25 years old, and the brain can adapt for a very long time before it’s visible. It adapts.
2. Nowadays, about 2% of cases are people who have a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s. So there’s a good chance that you’ll never get Alzheimer’s (by taking preventive actions).
3. Basically, Alzheimer’s is the brain that lacks resources, and has too much waste. So we can avoid it by making sure to give it enough resources and eliminate the waste (logical, huh?)
4. There are several ways to prevent it, but there are 3 in particular, which are actually the tripod, the trinity of health in general, so it also helps a lot with your well-being in general, not just for Alzheimer’s:
4.1. Exercise: Moving every day (and doing intense/strength exercises too!) helps with a lot of things, including getting more blood to your brain. 4.2. Eating Well: Hence the quote at the beginning: “You have a big belly? Your brain is affected”. Sugar is one of the worst things in our diet (especially added sugar). It is thought that people with Alzheimer’s are increasingly inclined to eat more sugar, because it is a “cry for help” from their brain, which needs more energy, and it falls into a vicious cycle. 4.3. Sleeping Well: Sleeping helps clear waste from the brain (among other things).
It can be scary to think that it starts in your 20s, but it also means that we can help early! And taking preventative actions against Alzheimer’s also helps with your overall quality of life.