Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/602310
Abby's Magazine - November/December 2015| Page 17 • People who are overweight at age 50 are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease sooner than those who are not • People who were overweight or obese at midlife developed symptoms nearly seven months sooner than those of a healthy weight • The onset of symptoms moved up by 6.7 months for each unit increase in midlife body mass index (BMI) • Those with a high BMI were also more likely to have greater amounts of amyloid proteins in their brain, which is linked to Alzheimer's Exercise Works with Your Diet to Lower Alzheimer's Risk A healthy diet and exercise are key not only for maintaining a healthy weight and lowering your risk of diabetes… but also for supporting your brain health. Exercise also leads to hippocampus growth and memory improvement, and it's been suggested that exercise can trigger a change in the way the amyloid precursor protein is metabolized, thus, slowing down the onset and progression of Alzheimer's. Exercise also increases levels of the protein PGC- 1alpha. Research has shown that people with Too Much Weight at 50 Tied to Early Alzheimer's Alzheimer's have less PGC-1alpha in their brains and cells that contain more of the protein produce less of the toxic amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's. Exercise even impacts tau tangles, which form when the protein tau collapses into twisted strands, which ends up killing brain cells. In one study, sedentary adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment were randomly divided into one of two groups. Four times a week, the first group did supervised aerobic workouts while the other did stretching exercises. After six months, the aerobic exercise group had statistically significant reductions in tau levels compared with those who only did stretching. They also experienced improved attention, planning, and executive function, courtesy of improved blood flow in brain regions associated with memory and processing. According to co-author Laura Baker: "These findings are important because they strongly suggest a potent lifestyle intervention such as aerobic exercise can impact Alzheimer's-related changes in the brain. No currently approved medication can rival these effects." Other lifestyle factors, particularly stress relief and adequate vitamin D levels, are also potent allies against all forms of dementia.