Can We Prevent Alzheimer's Disease?

BY NIH NEWS IN HEALTH
Jul7 19, 2010

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Research Provides New Leads

Will doing crossword puzzles prevent memory loss as we age? Does exercise delay or prevent Alzheimer's disease? Will adding fish oil to a diet help keep our brains healthy as we age? NIH recently convened a conference to answer these and other questions. The conclusion? Research so far has offered good leads about preventing Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline. Still, more research is needed before we can be sure what's effective.

"Scientists are actively investigating a wide range of strategies," says Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of NIH's National Institute on Aging (NIA). "Before we can tell the public that something will prevent Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline, we want to make sure that the intervention is tested as rigorously as possible."

Alzheimer's disease usually affects people 60 and older, but people with a rare form of the illness can develop the disease in their 30s or 40s.

"The biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is age, and the number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to double to 70 million by 2050," Hodes says. "We must find ways to prevent or delay this terrible disease."

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