Health Buzz: Diet, Exercise Could Stop Alzheimer's From Forming

Want to stop Alzheimer's disease from forming? Maintaining a normal body mass index, or BMI, healthy diet and regular physical activity could limit the protein build-ups linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new, small study from the University of California–Los Angeles.

Researchers from UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior examined 44 adults between ages 40 and 85 exhibiting memory changes but not dementia.

On each of the subjects, researchers performed an experimental version of a PET scan – an imaging test that looks for diseases in the body – to measure plaque in the brain made from toxic beta-amyloid protein and tangles, other types of protein. Both are critical markers of Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers also took into account participants' physical activity levels, diet, BMI and additional lifestyle elements.

Their findings suggest that a Mediterranean diet, healthy BMI and routine physical activity each were associated with lower levels of both plaque and tangles in these brain scans. In a statement, study author Dr. David Merrill touted the research as the first to illuminate the effects of lifestyle factors on abnormal proteins in those who don't yet have dementia, just subdued memory loss. The research will be published in the September issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Researchers were surprised to find that lifestyle factors could be a potential deterrent to Alzheimer's, Merrill said in the same statement. Next, the researchers will focus on imaging and intervention studies in diet, exercise and additional changeable habits like stress and cognitive health, Merrill added.

Alzheimer's disease, which affects approximately 5.4 million people in the U.S., according to the Alzheimer's Association, is an area of intense scientific investigation. Warning signs of Alzheimer's disease include personality or mood changes, speech difficulty, struggles with problem-solving and more.

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