It’s never too late (or too soon) to take preventive steps. 和, 有了新的拨款, Kaiser Permanente scientists are looking for more ways to support healthy aging.

Dementia and many other medical conditions associated with memory loss, 包括老年痴呆症, can take years — even decades — to develop. While symptoms and onset don’t typically occur until later in life, you can lower your risk of 痴呆 by making a few lifestyle changes at any age.

A long-running joint study between the 安全的赌博软件推荐 Health 值得信的赌博软件 Institute and the University of Washington called ACT, 或成人思想的改变, focuses on finding ways to delay or prevent 痴呆 and declines in memory. A 新的5年,55美元.600万年格兰特 from the National Institute on 老化 to further the ACT study will include the addition of a third major partner, 加州大学, 圣地亚哥. 

这消息一出， 埃里克·拉尔森博士, senior investigator at 安全的赌博软件推荐 Health 值得信的赌博软件 Institute and the study’s founding principal investigator, outlined a few steps he recommends taking to help lower your risk of developing 痴呆:

踮起脚尖

Increasing your physical activity is among the most important steps to take, according to Dr. 拉森. That doesn’t mean you have to go from being a couch potato to running a marathon — even a modest amount of gentle exercise, 比如15分钟的步行, 每周3次, 对你的健康有益. It also keeps your blood pressure in check, which is helpful because high blood pressure is a risk factor for 痴呆. 

Dr. 拉森 believes that exercise may improve brain function by protecting blood flow to areas of the brain used for memory. 

“Earlier research has shown that poor blood flow can damage these parts of the brain,” he said. “So, one theory is that exercise may prevent damage and might even help repair these areas by increasing blood flow.”

注意你的饮食

痴呆症的风险是 tied to higher-than-average blood sugar levels, even among people who don’t have diabetes. 吃更多的蔬菜, 水果, and whole grains — and cutting back on highly refined grains, such as white bread or white rice, and reducing high-sugar beverages — can help keep blood sugar levels in check. 

Take time to socialize and stay connected

As we age, it can be easy to retreat into isolation. The 新型冠状病毒肺炎 pandemic hasn’t helped, as many people avoid social interactions to steer clear of the virus. 但, continuing to talk to loved ones or getting together to participate in engaging activities helps boost your brain. 放在一起游戏, 玩虚拟纸牌游戏, 互相大声朗读, and sharing life experiences can make a difference. 

留意你的药物

One group of medications — anticholinergic drugs, including the common antihistamines found in sleep aids and nonprescription allergy drugs such as Benadryl — is linked to a higher risk of developing 痴呆. This increased risk may not be reversible even years after people stop taking a drug. 在扩展的ACT值得信的赌博软件中, work is being done to find an explanation for why these drugs may have this impact.

“现在, we know there are a lot of things we can do to reduce the risk of 痴呆 and cognitive decline as we age,” Dr. 拉森说,. “These include getting regular exercise, 维护社会接触, 健康饮食, being mindful of medications that might affect cognition, correcting or minimizing issues related to hearing and vision, and attending to blood pressure control and other cardiovascular risk factors.” 

了解更多关于 痴呆 以及如何学习ACT, 在新的资金支持下, is working to discover how people can age in the healthiest possible ways.

This story was originally published on MyKP.