Brain health is so important and diet, exercise, yoga, mediation and stress have a huge impact… Coconut oil also helps (read some of my other postings), as does learning a language or a musical instrument…  Genes are important too – but you can improve your odds by living right!  If you want to stay healthy until 100, then you need to take action NOW!

WSJ:  Alzheimer’s Prevention for 30-Somethings With No Symptoms

Max Lugavere Exercises, Cuts Out Shellfish, Takes Cocoa Supplements

About five years ago Dr. Isaacson decided to get serious about his brain health and made a number of lifestyle changes, including cutting his intake of sugar and carbohydrates. He also began playing bass guitar in a rock band. (Playing a musical instrument on a regular basis is one of his universal recommendations for people at risk.)

Studies have found playing a musical instrument delays the onset of cognitive and auditory decline but what goes on in the brain isn’t fully understood.

“I do all the things I tell my patients to do,” Dr. Isaacson said. “I eat berries like crazy. I drink coffee. I have mocha in the morning—CocoaVia, the same [supplement] I tell my patients to use.” Dr. Isaacson says there is enough evidence showing that each of these can help protect against cognitive decline. He also recommends moderate alcohol consumption.

Alzheimer’s experts increasingly are researching ways to prevent or delay memory decline instead of just focusing on treating patients who have the disease. There have been encouraging results from some studies of preventive strategies, including lifestyle interventions in people at risk for dementia. Some 5.2 million people in the U.S. had Alzheimer’s in 2014, a number that is expected to about triple by 2050.

While Alzheimer’s prevention is being widely studied, prevention programs at large medical centers are rare. Some of the field’s leading experts say there isn’t sufficient evidence to support making recommendations beyond eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly, advice that everyone should heed. There is no cure or particularly effective treatment for Alzheimer’s.

“There is growing evidence that lifestyle modifications do have an impact on our cognitive aging,” said Ronald Petersen, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital started an outpatient Alzheimer Risk Assessment and Intervention Clinic in July after hearing from relatives of dementia patients concerned about their own health. The clinic offers a two-visit program open to people 45 years of age and older with no symptoms of memory loss. Participants are given a risk assessment as well as cognitive tests and an MRI scan of their brain to look for brain shrinkage or stroke-related damage.

“Rarely a week goes by in my memory-disorder clinic when I’m not counseling a family member about risk,” said David Geldmacher, medical director for neurology at UAB Hospital. “There’s growing evidence that we can delay the onset or reduce an individual’s risk,” he said.

Read the full article: http://online.wsj.com/articles/alzheimers-prevention-for-30-somethings-with-no-symptoms-1410823276