Forget Worrying About Dementia

     If you’re like me, every time you can't remember where you put your keys, or can't recall the name of a favorite actor playing in an old movie (or the name of the movie itself), you begin to worry that you’re starting down the long slide to dementia, if not downright Alzheimer’s. I know it's nothing to make light of ... but what else you gonna do?

     Just so you know: Alzheimer’s and dementia are different issues. Dementia refers to a set of symptoms that include memory loss, impairment of judgment and difficulty with language. Alzheimer's is a brain disease that accounts for 60 to70 percent of the cases of dementia, but other disorders such as vascular disease and Parkinson’s can also cause dementia.

     Currently, over 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s. Experts estimate that with our aging population, the number of cases will more than triple to over 16 million by the year 2050. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s disease is still a mystery to medical science. Although there is clearly some genetic component, researchers do not understand what causes the disease – or even exactly what it is. Amyloid plaques are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s victims. But do the plaques cause the disease, or are they merely a symptom? Nobody knows.

 

      Doctors are working on tests to predict whether or not you will develop Alzheimer's, but so far there is nothing definitive. Pharmaceutical companies have produced drugs that ameliorate symptoms, but they have not found a cure. And if we haven't yet figured out how we get Alzheimer's, how can we possibly know how to prevent it? 

     There is no proof that we can. But a recent study from the University of California at San Francisco identified risk seven factors that may account for over half of Alzheimer's cases: The biggest risk factor is: 1) Physical inactivity. That's followed by 2) Depression; 3) Smoking; 4) Mid-life hypertension; 5) Mid-life obesity; 6) Low education; and 7) Diabetes.

     Said study author Deborah Barnes: "What's exciting is that this suggests that some very simple lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity and quitting smoking, could have tremendous impact on preventing Alzheimer's and other dementia."

     I'd argue that these lifestyle changes are not so "simple." But these are by and large the very same factors that put you at risk for heart disease and overall poor health, so this finding just provides additional motivation to make those changes -- giving up smoking, losing some weight, getting treatment for depression or anxiety, and engaging in some sort of physical activity like walking, biking, dancing or swimming.

     Other studies reported in the New York Times supported the UCSF conclusion. In addition, research has suggested that people who exercise and keep their minds engaged are better able to retain normal memory and brain function, even if they do develop the telltale brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's. Even more reason to go take an adult-education class at your community college, or join a bridge club or start doing crossword puzzles or the sudoko.

     Finally, in addition to the factors identified by UCSF, other studies have demonstrated that people who stay socially active are also at reduced risk for dementia. So don't stay home and watch TV or read a book. Go out and play golf with your buddies, or go to church and attend the after-service social hour, or join a group that plays poker or pinochle. Or ... if you do like to stick your nose in a book all day long, join a book club and socialize with other booklovers who can share your tastes and enthusiasms.

     So if I manage to avoid the long slide to dementia I have B and my buddies to thank. My buddies for playing golf with me. And B for luring me to dancing class.

     Meanwhile, everyone knows that Ronald Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's. So did Barry Goldwater and Charlton Heston. Rita Hayworth, Charles Bronson and Burgess Meredith. Iris Murdoch, E. B. White and Ross MacDonald. And Norman Rockwell and Willem DeKooning. The latest celebrity to fall victim is 75-year-old Glen Campbell, who announced just last month that he was suffering from the disease. So let's remember Glen Campbell, here from a live concert in 2006.