The cause of Alzheimer disease is not known. Living a healthy lifestyle may help lower the risk. Here are some tips:
- Exercise regularly. Aim for 150 minutes or more of physical activity each week.
- Eat a healthful diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, seeds, olive oil, and fish.
- Drinking alcohol may help decrease the risk, but it should be used in moderation. This means no more than 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. Drinking too much can increase the risk of dementia.
- Stop smoking.
- Reach or maintain a healthy weight.
- Manage high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
- Cognitive training programs may maintain brain function.
References
Alzheimer dementia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/alzheimer-dementia. Accessed April 6, 2022.
Alzheimer's disease medications fact sheet. National Institute on Aging website. Available at: https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/alzheimers-disease-medications-fact-sheet. Accessed April 6, 2022.
Atri, A. The Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Spectrum: Diagnosis and Management. Med Clin North Am. 2019; 103(2): 263-293.
Risk factors. Alzheimer’s Association website. Available at: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers/causes-and-risk-factors. Accessed April 6, 2022.
What is Alzheimer's? Alzheimer’s Association website. Available at: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers. Accessed April 6, 2022.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: EBSCO Medical Review Board Rimas Lukas, MD
- Review Date: 03/2022
- Update Date: 04/07/2022