Dementia All Too Soon

The way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME - George And Ira Gershwin

They CAN take that away from me. According to the research published in the American Academy of Neurology entitled "Brain Exercises May Slow Cognitive Decline Initially, But Speed Up Dementia Later" states:

"...once they are diagnosed with dementia, people who have a more mentally active lifestyle are likely to have more brain changes related to dementia compared to those without a lot of mental activity. As a result, those with more mentally active lifestyles may experience a faster rate of decline once dementia begins." - Rush University Medical Center (Chicago)

There is hope from the same source that brought us the bad news. You aren't protected but you can find some protection. We talked about it before and we encourage you to do the right thing when it comes to hearing the news. We think the story is, again we haven't read the full research only the press release, that after age 65 your chances of suffering from Alzheimer is reasonably assured.

"The nearly 4,000 participants in this study included black and white adults aged 65 and older. They were given a battery of cognitive tests which were assigned scores and then a clinical interview. Those who ranked in the highest in terms of following such a Mediterranean-type diet were more protected from cognitive decline. The adults were given these cognitive tests every three years for 15 years." - RUSH University News (May 3, 2010) 

Cancer, AIDS, alzheimer are the "boogeymen's" diseases of the last few generations. Are they substantial killers? Yes, they are. Are there treatments for the diseases - yes but no real cures. Dementia and its affects are horrible - devastating on individuals and their families. When we read the top ten (10) signs of Alzheimer they read more like symptoms of old age. Before we get to those facts and figures, that haven't substantially changed. Let's look at the results of this latest research.

"...researchers evaluated the mental activities of 1,157 people age 65 or older who did not have dementia at the start of the nearly 12-year study. People answered questions about how often they participated in mental activities such as listening to the radio, watching television, reading, playing games and going to a museum; for this five-point cognitive activity scale, the more points scored, the more often people participated in mentally stimulating exercises" - American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 

In the study released in May the number of participants exceed the almost 1,200 people by more than three (3) times. While the information in the most recent research shouldn't be ignored it's not a cause for alarm. We've never been a big support of those mind games and brain trainers offered by hand held gamers and iPhone users. Obviously they offer some benefit but no where near the benefit provided by dietary changes.

"During the next six years, the study found that the rate of cognitive decline in people without cognitive impairment was reduced by 52 percent for each point on the cognitive activity scale. For people with Alzheimer’s disease, the average rate of decline per year increased by 42 percent for each point on the cognitive activity scale." -American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 

So were comparing the numbers from May to September from 4,000 compared to 1,200 participants and 3 to 15 years to 6 years. There are more key facts and figures courtesy of the Alzheimer's Association. Top Ten (10) Warning Signs as compared to symptoms of old age. All available at their website where they encourage you to join their Memory Walk and start a team. We're just surprised that they left the date of the "Walk" on the site or in their video. Which might just be because the walk never ends - much like the fight against the disease. They can't take that away from you but like the old Flip Wilson joke said: "Just leave that alone and it'll fail off by itself!"