New studies are showing how important lifestyle choices are for preventing Alzheimer's. As demonstrated by several studies, people who were severely overweight, who avoided eating healthy green vegetables and who avoided exercising their brains were more prone to being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
It's not surprising, actually: staying healthy means being both mentally and physically fit, and the two go hand in hand. A person who is truly healthy must exercise both their body and their mind on a regular basis.
As for diet and nutrition, the study supported the notion that eating spinach, broccoli and brussel sprouts is important to good brain health. Having high cholesterol and high blood pressure -- both caused primarily by making poor dietary choices -- greatly increased the risk of Alzheimer's.
Perhaps the most exciting part about this research is the news about brain exercises: those study subjects who engaged their brains in crossword puzzles, reading, social activities or who even playing bingo were at far lower risk of being diagosed with Alzheimer's. Note that watching television wasn't on this list. To be healthy, you have to engage your brain in something new on a daily basis, if possible.
I'm a big proponent of brain exercises, and it's one of the reasons I study comedy improvisation. Some other exercises that are fantastic for your brain include learning a foreign language (the Pimsleur audio CDs are the best I've found), trying to draw or write with the opposite hand that you're used to, brushing your teeth or performing other daily routines with the opposite hand, playing word association games with friends, or playing computer strategy games.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Tuesday, July 20, 2004
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