Are there any proven Alzheimer's prevention strategies?

Answer From Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D.

Not yet. But there's strong evidence that healthy lifestyle habits — such as diet, exercise and not smoking — may play a role in reducing your risk of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. However, more research is needed before any of these lifestyle factors can be considered a proven strategy to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

In particular, the Mediterranean diet has been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The Mediterranean diet is also linked to improved cognition in people who are at risk of heart and other vascular diseases.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fish and uses olive oil as the primary cooking fat. This type of diet is also a heart-healthy diet that reduces the risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. These conditions are also risk factors for dementia.

More research is needed before experts know specific ways to prevent Alzheimer's. But here are some steps that promote good overall brain health:

  • Avoid smoking.
  • Control vascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
  • Lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels if they're high. Do this with treatment recommended by your healthcare professional and lifestyle changes such as exercising and eating a healthy diet.
  • Eat a balanced diet — such as the Mediterranean diet — that's rich in vegetables, fruits and lean protein, particularly protein sources containing omega-3 fatty acids.
  • Be physically and socially active, including engaging in aerobic exercise.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Take care of your mental health.
  • Use thinking (cognitive) skills, such as memory skills.
  • Avoid head injury.
  • Treat hearing loss.
  • Treat vision loss.
  • Limit alcohol consumption.

With

Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D.

Sept. 25, 2024 See more Expert Answers

See also

  1. Alzheimer's sleep problems
  2. Alzheimer's: New treatments
  3. Alzheimer's 101
  4. Understanding the difference between dementia types
  5. Alzheimer's disease
  6. Alzheimer's genes
  7. Alzheimer's drugs
  8. Alzheimer's stages
  9. Antidepressant withdrawal: Is there such a thing?
  10. Antidepressants and alcohol: What's the concern?
  11. Antidepressants and weight gain: What causes it?
  12. Antidepressants: Can they stop working?
  13. Antidepressants: Side effects
  14. Antidepressants: Selecting one that's right for you
  15. Antidepressants: Which cause the fewest sexual side effects?
  16. Anxiety disorders
  17. Atypical antidepressants
  18. Caregiver stress
  19. Clinical depression: What does that mean?
  20. Corticobasal degeneration (corticobasal syndrome)
  21. CT scan
  22. Depression and anxiety: Can I have both?
  23. Depression, anxiety and exercise
  24. What is depression? A Mayo Clinic expert explains.
  25. Depression in women: Understanding the gender gap
  26. Depression (major depressive disorder)
  27. Depression: Supporting a family member or friend
  28. Diagnosing Alzheimer's
  29. Did the definition of Alzheimer's disease change?
  30. How your brain works
  31. Intermittent fasting
  32. Lecanemab for Alzheimer's disease
  33. Male depression: Understanding the issues
  34. MAOIs and diet: Is it necessary to restrict tyramine?
  35. Marijuana and depression
  36. Mayo Clinic Minute: 3 tips to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease
  37. Mayo Clinic Minute: Alzheimer's disease risk and lifestyle
  38. Mayo Clinic Minute: New definition of Alzheimer's changes
  39. Mayo Clinic Minute: Women and Alzheimer's Disease
  40. Memory loss: When to seek help
  41. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
  42. MRI
  43. Natural remedies for depression: Are they effective?
  44. Nervous breakdown: What does it mean?
  45. New Alzheimers Research
  46. Pain and depression: Is there a link?
  47. Phantosmia: What causes olfactory hallucinations?
  48. Positron emission tomography scan
  49. Posterior cortical atrophy
  50. Seeing inside the heart with MRI
  51. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
  52. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
  53. Sundowning: Late-day confusion
  54. Treatment-resistant depression
  55. Tricyclic antidepressants
  56. Video: Alzheimer's drug shows early promise
  57. MRI
  58. Vitamin B-12 and depression
  59. Young-onset Alzheimer's