{"id":87,"date":"2019-07-31T14:20:22","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T19:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/?p=87"},"modified":"2020-02-21T12:48:29","modified_gmt":"2020-02-21T17:48:29","slug":"what-are-the-risk-factors-for-alzheimers-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/what-are-the-risk-factors-for-alzheimers-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Risk Factors for Alzheimer\u2019s Disease?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scientific research on Alzheimer\u2019s disease progresses everyday. Through it, certain risk factors to Alzheimer\u2019s were identified and the good news is that some of them are under our control! This means that despite not yet being curable, Alzheimer\u2019s disease can be partially prevented. We have separated the risk factors into non-modifiable and modifiable ones. By paying attention to the modifiable risk factors, you can reduce your chances of developing the disease.\u00a0\u00a0This is particularly true for the modifiable factors; working on them will help you lower your odds of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

Non-modifiable risk factors<\/h3>\n

1. Age<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Aging is the main risk factor to developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Though Alzheimer\u2019s is not part of normal aging, odds of developing it greatly increases with chronological age. About 5% of people above 65 years old have Alzheimer\u2019s and this percentage increases by about 5% with each increment of 5 years. This means that more than 30% of people above 90 years old will have Alzheimer\u2019s disease or another type of dementia (read about\u00a0The Difference between Alzheimer and Dementia<\/a>).<\/p>\n

2. Genetics<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Our genes affect our risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease; however, people who develop Alzheimer\u2019s due to a genetic mutation are diagnosed at a young age–before 60, and they represent a very small portion of all cases of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. The cases that are diagnosed after 60 years old are rarely associated to a strong genetic factor. In fact, in most cases, genes do not have a more important impact than the modifiable risk factors described below. This should reassure those who have relatives suffering from Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

3. Education<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Education level is considered an non-modifiable risk factor. Having a high level of education and holding a job that is cognitively demanding protect us from developing Alzheimer\u2019s. One plausible explanation: by having a higher level of education and a more demanding job, the brain developed greater\u00a0cognitive reserve.\u00a0More cognitive reserve then allows the brain to better cope with the early impacts of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. It\u2019s important though to make a distinction between education level and cognitive stimulation exercises. Indeed, these may help improve current brain function, but it\u2019s impossible to go back in time to add a few years of schooling to improve our cognitive reserve! Have a look at our article:\u00a0Cognitive Training, Does it Work?<\/a><\/p>\n

Modifiable risk factors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Here are the risk factors that we can control: 4. Cardiovascular risk factors: hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and obesity<\/strong> Cardiovascular risk factors are the most important ones. These factors are linked to the health of our heart and blood vessels. Having high blood pressure (hypertension) or a high cholesterol level increases the risk of Alzheimer\u2019s. Diabetes does so as well, particularly if it is not well-controlled. We also know that smoking and being obese is linked to poor cardiovascular health. What is good for the heart is good for the brain! Keep in mind that the best time to lower vascular risk is in middle age (40-60 years old) and not in the later years. 5. Sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise<\/strong> Although this has not been proven as conclusively as for the other cardiovascular risk factors, exercising regularly is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Physical activity is good for the heart and muscles and most probably helps the mind and the brain.<\/p>\n

6. Social isolation and depression<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Studies show that people\u00a0who are isolated<\/a>\u00a0or show\u00a0symptoms of depression<\/a>\u00a0have a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease than those who remain well connected and are not depressed. Proving that social isolation and depression\u00a0cause\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s is difficult, but one thing is clear: keeping and maintaining social activities is fun, important, and all the better if it protects you from developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

The take-home message<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s currently impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of one day developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease. But we can clearly and significantly lower our risk by maintaining the best cardiovascular health. This also means keeping good lifestyles habits (exercice, nutrition, social contact, etc.) and making resolutions to change them if needed. The best time to do it is the middle ages: prevention needs to start early!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our genes affect our risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease; however, people who develop Alzheimer\u2019s due to a genetic mutation are diagnosed at a young age–before 60, and they represent a very small portion of all cases of Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Are the Risk Factors for Alzheimer\u2019s Disease? - Eugeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/what-are-the-risk-factors-for-alzheimers-disease\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Are the Risk Factors for Alzheimer\u2019s Disease? - Eugeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our genes affect our risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease; however, people who develop Alzheimer\u2019s due to a genetic mutation are diagnosed at a young age--before 60, and they represent a very small portion of all cases of Alzheimer\u2019s disease\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/what-are-the-risk-factors-for-alzheimers-disease\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eugeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-07-31T19:20:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-02-21T17:48:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/alzheimer-dementia-risk-factors-facteurs-risque-demence-perte-cognitive-cognition-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1438\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"539\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Val\u00e9rie Larochelle\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Eugeria\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/what-are-the-risk-factors-for-alzheimers-disease\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/alzheimer-dementia-risk-factors-facteurs-risque-demence-perte-cognitive-cognition-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/alzheimer-dementia-risk-factors-facteurs-risque-demence-perte-cognitive-cognition-1.jpg\",\"width\":1438,\"height\":539},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/what-are-the-risk-factors-for-alzheimers-disease\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/info.eugeria.ca\/en\/what-are-the-risk-factors-for-alzheimers-disease\/\",\"name\":\"What Are the Risk Factors for Alzheimer\\u2019s Disease? 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