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   Accepted Alzheimer's prevention tools have their limits   
      
      
   Remaining active doesn't alter biological markers, study finds   
      
      
   06/12/2015 | ConsumerAffairs |  Alzheimer's Newsfacebooktwitterg   
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   By Mark Huffman   
   Mark Huffman has been a consumer news reporter for ConsumerAffairs since 2004.   
   He covers real estate, gas prices and the economy and has reported extensively   
   on negative-option sales. He was previously an Associated Press reporter and   
   editor in    
   Washington, D.C., a correspondent for Westwoood One Radio Networks and   
   Marketwatch.  Read Full Bio→   
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   For years doctors have advised older adults to remain physically and mentally   
   active, to reduce the likelihood of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.   
      
   It's still good advice, researchers say, but if you have the underlying   
   markers for the disease, there are limits to its effectiveness.   
      
   “While a lifelong history of physical and mental activity may support better   
   memory and thinking performance, this relationship may possibly be separate   
   from any protection against the markers of Alzheimer’s disease in the   
   brain,” said study author    
   Keith A. Johnson, MD, with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General   
   Hospital in Boston.   
      
   The study, published in the journal Neurology, followed older adults who had   
   different levels of lifelong physical and mental activity. The most active   
   engaged in things like bike riding, dancing, walking and gardening and   
   mentally stimulating activities    
   such as crosswords and reading. Make no mistake, those activities help.   
      
   Significantly higher IQs   
   The study participants took tests of their thinking and mental abilities.   
   Results showed that participants who took part in stimulating cognitive   
   activities had significantly higher IQ and better cognitive performance   
   compared those who did not take part    
   in mentally stimulating activities very often.   
      
   But there was no relationship between frequent mental or physical activity and   
   any of the markers of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain.   
      
   “This suggests that sustaining a lifetime of intellectual engagement may   
   help preserve cognitive function into old age,” said Johnson. “In   
   addition, our findings should not discourage people from engaging in   
   physically and mentally stimulating    
   activities, as they have been shown in numerous studies to generally offer   
   many brain benefits.”   
      
   In fact, the National Institute on Aging, which partially funded the study,   
   says scientists continue to study other non-genetic risk factors for   
   Alzheimer's, and continue to stress the importance of both physical and mental   
   stimulation, along with social    
   engagement and a nutritious diet, to delay the onset of the disease.   
      
   Other possible links   
   The Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), says   
   scientists are also investigating associations between cognitive decline and   
   heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.   
      
   “Understanding these relationships and testing them in clinical trials will   
   help us understand whether reducing risk factors for these diseases may help   
   with Alzheimer's as well,” the agency says on its website.   
      
   The Alzheimer's Association, which also funded the Harvard study, still   
   stresses that people can reduce their risk of cognitive decline by maintaining   
   a healthy lifestyle.   
      
   "The research on cognitive decline is still evolving," said Angela Geiger,   
   chief strategy officer, Alzheimer's Association. "But there are actions people   
   can take. Certain healthy behaviors known to combat cancer, cardiovascular   
   disease and diabetes may    
   also reduce the risk of cognitive decline.”   
      
   And those activities, says Geiger, include staying mentally active, engaging   
   in regular physical activity and eating a heart-healthy diet that benefits   
   both body and brain. She says there is also some evidence people may benefit   
   from staying socially    
   engaged with friends, family and the community.   
      
      
      
   https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/accepted-alzheimers-prevent   
   on-tools-have-their-limits-061215.html   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)