Can Broccoli and B Vitamins Prevent Alzheimer’s? (Video)
Posted Dec 16 2010 2:24pm
Alzheimer's Reading Room
"The challenge with all these lifestyle issues is that they have to be evaluated with what are called randomized clinical trials, the way a drug is evaluated," says Dr. Samuel Gandy of Mount Sinai Hospital. "The challenge is turning crossword puzzles and broccoli into drugs."
Healthy living has been shown to boost brainpower and extend our lives. But can eating well and exercising frequently also decrease a person's chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease?
The answer, after much research, is maybe. B vitamins, for example, can help the body's protein metabolism, reducing susceptibility to the kind of vascular disease which has been linked to Alzheimer’s, says Dr. Juan Troncoso, director of the Brain Resource Center at Johns Hopkins.
Exercise, too, has demonstrated brain benefits. Exercise increases grey matter in the brain, strengthening the communication between brain cells, says Dr. Ottavio Arancio of the Taub Institute at Columbia University. This might "build up the brain just like a muscle," giving it a reserve of strength against dementia.
http://bigthink.com/ideas/25357
Alzheimer's Disease -- Advice and Insight
Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. Bob has written more than 2,101 articles with more than 272,100 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
"The challenge with all these lifestyle issues is that they have to be evaluated with what are called randomized clinical trials, the way a drug is evaluated," says Dr. Samuel Gandy of Mount Sinai Hospital. "The challenge is turning crossword puzzles and broccoli into drugs."
Healthy living has been shown to boost brainpower and extend our lives. But can eating well and exercising frequently also decrease a person's chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease?
The answer, after much research, is maybe. B vitamins, for example, can help the body's protein metabolism, reducing susceptibility to the kind of vascular disease which has been linked to Alzheimer’s, says Dr. Juan Troncoso, director of the Brain Resource Center at Johns Hopkins.
Exercise, too, has demonstrated brain benefits. Exercise increases grey matter in the brain, strengthening the communication between brain cells, says Dr. Ottavio Arancio of the Taub Institute at Columbia University. This might "build up the brain just like a muscle," giving it a reserve of strength against dementia.
http://bigthink.com/ideas/25357
Alzheimer's Disease -- Advice and Insight
The Alzheimer's Action Plan
The Art of Dementia Care
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room