Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease: A progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to die.
Dementia: A term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life.
Anyone who leads a stressful, sedentary (spend much time seated) and unhealthy lifestyle may be at an early risk of Alzheimer's or dementia. Here are 5 habits that can make you vulnerable to brain diseases.
Are you using it or losing it? Maintaining brain health can be a difficult business especially in today's time and age due to the shortcomings of our modern lifestyle. Instead of challenging our mind, we are making it lazy and the consequences can be disastrous. A brain that does not 'exercise' can shrink which can lead to cognitive (the mental action) decline and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Our eating habits can also have an impact as food rich in sugar and high in calories can cause brain swelling. In addition, alcohol and drug use can lead to early loss of brain tissue, which can lead to premature aging of the brain.
As far as Alzheimer's disease is concerned, it is believed to be caused by an abnormal buildup of proteins in and around brain cells. Amyloid, a protein forms plaques (a sticky deposit) around brain cells, while tau, another protein, can cause entanglement (a complicated or compromising relationship) within brain cells. This process can begin as early as age 40, which is early Alzheimer's.
Anyone who leads a stressful, sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle may be at an early risk of Alzheimer's or dementia. When brain health begins to deteriorate, one does not really enjoy life and feels like a burden. Healthy lifestyle changes should be made to avoid the risk of these brain diseases.
Doctor. Mazhar Abbas Turabi, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Masina Hospital, Byculla, Mumbai tells HT Digital about harmful habits that can put us at risk of Alzheimer's.
1. Having a sedentary lifestyle: Sedentary lifestyle and insufficient exercise undoubtedly slow down the brain as well as contribute to many lifestyle diseases. Exercise offers many benefits that ward off cognitive issues apart from being necessary to keep our mind healthy and sharp. They increase heart rate, release feel-good endorphins, and – most important – promote blood flow to the brain, which maintains brain health.
2. Insufficient sleep: Lack of sleep can lead to daytime sleepiness and reduce your productivity and attention span. Not getting enough sleep for long periods of time can increase the level of a protein called tau in your brain, which is directly related to cognitive decline and can lead to Alzheimer's disease.
3. Dehydration: It is generally recommended to drink 8 glasses of water a day as our body is made up of 70% water. Therefore, not drinking enough water or not consuming liquid-rich foods can lead to dehydration which causes dementia.
4. Drug and alcohol use: Long-term high alcohol consumption can damage your brain and increase your risk of dementia. Moderate alcohol consumption is not definitively associated with an increased risk of dementia, nor has it been demonstrated to confer greater protection against dementia.
5. A poor diet: Reduce intake of high saturated fats like cheese butter cake, red meat etc as they are known to increase the risk of cognitive issues (when a person has trouble remembering).
