Q: Alzheimer’s runs in my family. What can I do to prevent it or at least reduce progression if I get it? — Susan H., Denver A: You don’t have to wait for some pharmaceutical treatment to prevent or roll back your risk for dementia.
You have the power to do that by making smart lifestyle choices. And two very exciting new studies back up what we’ve been saying for years. The first was directed by Dr.
Dean Ornish, the founder and president of Preventive Medicine Research Institute. The researchers enlisted 51 participants with a verified diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and randomly assigned them to either an intensive lifestyle intervention group or a usual-care control group. The group making lifestyle changes adopted a minimally processed, plant-based diet low in harmful fats, refined carbohydrates, alcohol and sweeteners and took supplements, including omega-3s, probiotics, vitamins and minerals, CoQ10, and Lion’s Mane.
They did daily moderate aerobic exercise and strength training for at least 30 minutes and meditation, stretching, breathing and imagery, for one hour daily. They also participated in support groups for an hour three times a week. After 20 weeks, more than 70% of the folks in the intervention group had either stayed the same or had improved cognition, while none of the patients in the control group showed improvement and 68% worsened.
Then, another study found that 72 sessions of high-intensity inter.