The impact of lifestyle changes on dementia and other conditions - Midland Daily News

Omar P. Haqqani, for the Daily News

Published 3:02 am EDT, Monday, August 26, 2019

Dr. Omar P. Haqqani

Dr. Omar P. Haqqani

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Dr. Omar P. Haqqani

The World Health Organization has issued a statement saying that a healthy lifestyle may help delay or prevent dementia. The Alzheimer's Association agrees, saying that while there is no clear-cut prevention avenue, all of the healthy habits people adopt help the brain. For instance, exercise sends blood to the brain, stimulating cells. Not only do physical exercise and diet improvement help the body, social interaction is also recommended to stimulate the brain.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, 5.8 million Americans currently have Alzheimer's dementia. Additionally, one in ten people over age 65, or 5.6 million, suffer from it. WHO estimates that number will triple during the next three decades.

What is dementia?

Dementia is caused by damaged brain cells. That one word refers to several symptoms. They include a decline in memory and other areas that disrupt normal daily living for an individual. Beyond memory loss, people with dementia may lose the ability to concentrate, pay attention and begin to exhibit poor judgement.

There are several types of dementia. The two most common are Alzheimer's disease, attributed to 60 to 80 percent of cases, and vascular dementia. Vascular dementia occurs after a stroke.

Recommended lifestyle changes

Because some dementia progresses over time, symptoms should be taken seriously. If someone begins to have difficulty solving problems, doing familiar chores or activities or putting words together, they could be showing early signs of dementia. Certain lifestyle changes may result in slowing its development and improve general health.

It is well known that exercise helps reduce high blood pressure (hypertension) and weight, but the benefit of physical activity for the brain cannot be overlooked. Healthy brain cells need blood and oxygen. Exercise helps send these two critical necessities to the brain and the result is extra stimulation, invigorating brain cells and keeping them active.

High blood sugar is known to create and exacerbate complications such as diabetes, and contribute to nerve damage, kidney damage and vision complications. Controlling blood sugar will help prevent these issues and it will also help the brain. The Alzheimer's Association recommends a diet focused on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and other healthy choices. As with many other parts of the body and medical conditions, limiting sodium, saturated fat and red meat intake helps the brain.

Similar to lung disease, respiratory issues and other conditions, cigarette smoking has been determined to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to the National Institutes of Health. The same is true of alcohol use. The NIH found that men who drink alcohol daily and currently smoke are much more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease.

Socialization and using the mind help

Interacting with others helps improve cognitive and emotional areas of the brain. The stimulation of conversation, social events and being around others offers something different for brain cells to comprehend, thereby providing stimulation. In addition, it provides the emotional boost of being around other people and conversation often opens the mind to previously unexplored ideas that develop intellect, thus benefiting the brain.

Beyond interaction with others, NIH has determined that devoting at least six hours each week to a hobby or favorite intellectual activity can help reduce dementia. Simple things, such as reading, working on a puzzle or playing a game, can be very important in keeping the brain active.

In addition to diet, activity, social and intellectual elements attributed to help prevent dementia, it is important to remember that brain cells can be damaged by injuries. Wearing helmets when biking, using seat belts and "fall-proofing" a home are recommended. Avoiding injury and adopting a healthy lifestyle should be cognizant choices.

Ask Dr. Haqqani

If you have questions about your cardiovascular health, including heart, blood pressure, stroke lifestyle and other issues, we want to answer them. Please submit your questions to Dr. Haqqani by e-mail at questions@vascularhealthclinics.org.

Dr. Omar P. Haqqani is the chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Vascular Health Clinics in Midland: www.vascularhealthclinics.org