Experts find that diet and lifestyle have little influence on Alzheimer's

Lifestyle and diet don't seem to have a major impact on Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers failed to find concluding evidence that Alzheimer's can be prevented by diet or lifestyle changes.

According to a United States government panel, diet and lifestyle are not major factors when it comes to reducing the risks for Alzheimer's disease. The experts found little evidence that changing one's diet or lifestyle can have a major impact on the risks of developing the degenerative disease.

The experts put together the findings of several separate studies that researched the link between Alzheimer's disease and such factors as diet, nutritional supplements, physical activity, and chronic health conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes.

The researchers did find several links between elements of lifestyle and Alzheimer's, but in every case the evidence was not considered enough to make them definite.

According to the findings, cholesterol, diabetes and smoking could be risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. On the contrary, eating a Mediterranean-style diet, reducing alcohol consumption, taking vitamin B9, and keeping the brain and body in good shape, could help reduce the risks. However, experts say that there isn't enough evidence to be certain that this is so.

The panel called for further research to confirm these findings. They said that large-scales studies and clinical trials are necessary to determine the risk factors and attempt finding ways to stop the progression of the disease.

According to Dr. Martha Daviglus and colleagues, despite the many studies that looked into risk factors for Alzheimer's, scientists still don't have enough information to reach a definite conclusion. At present, no modifiable factor can be unquestionably associated with the apparition of the disease.

Alzheimer's disease is a form of senile dementia. It is a terminal condition, which involves progressive deterioration of the brain.

An estimated 26 million people all over the world suffer from the degenerative disease. In the United States, 5.4 million people have Alzheimer's. Among them, about 4% are younger than 65, 6% are aged between 65 and 74, 45% are aged between 75 and 84, and 45% are older than 85.

Old age is still considered the biggest risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease. Carrying a certain variant of apolipoprotein E is also a significant risk factor.

Experts advise elderly persons and people who have Alzheimer's disease in their family to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

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