It’s been said that what is good for your body is also good for your brain. Things such as a healthy diet, exercise, and keeping a healthy weight have been linked to a reduction in the buildup of certain proteins that  have been related to Alzheimer’s. However, we must keep in mind that there are other factors that can play a part in memory loss as well. The obvious one is genetics, but there are some less obvious ones. Some of them may even surprise you.

Herpes:

This year there was a study on 1,000 human brains, and scientist made a surprising discovery about the herpes virus. In this study, scientists found that the brains of people who had died from Alzheimer’s had twice the level of the herpes simplex virus 6 and 7. Both types of the herpes virus are very common and are also known to cause roseola in children. Scientists also found that the virus seemed to interact with the same genes that are linked to Alzheimer’s. You can read about the study here. In addition to that study, scientists ran another and found that the people who had the common virus that causes cold sores (herpes simplex 1) had an increased chance of Alzheimer’s later on in life. However, they proved that taking antiviral medication to treat the symptoms not only reduced risk, but may also protect against dementia. If you are someone who gets common cold sores, you may want to read more about the study here.

Polluted Air:

Women that live in a highly polluted area are 92 percent more likely to developed dementia than a women who live in an area with cleaner air. Women who carry a gene called APOE4 seem to have a higher risk for contracting the disease in a highly polluted area. Scientists state that, if this is true, then pollution could account for 21 percent of dementia cases. When we breath in tiny, contaminated particles, we get inflammation in our bodies. This inflammation can trigger or speed up the Alzheimer’s disease.

Lack of sleep:

Many people are aware that not having good sleep habits can contribute to a lot of different health risks. Scientists are finding that, over a period of time, inadequate sleep can be linked to the proteins that cause Alzheimer’s. Exercise can break up the proetins a little bit but only sleeping well can actually get rid of them. Every time you sleep, your body is taking out the trash and disposing of all the bad stuff to start fresh the next day. Allowing your body this time will keep your brain really healthy.

Smell:

Can you recognize smells, or do you have a hard time? Research has shown that people who actually have a hard time with smell seem to have an higher risk of getting the disease.  Some doctors say that if a person is having trouble differentiating between smells, that person may already have a small part of the disease in their genes. You can always try a scratch and sniff to see if you struggle with your sense of smell.

Eating:

Eating an early dinner and giving yourself a little bit of time before consuming breakfast can actually promote a healthy brain. By taking a break between your dinner and breakfast, you are forcing your body to burn ketone bodies instead of carbohydrates. Ketone bodies are the brain’s healthy fat. They will fuel your brain and are an efficient energy source while also keeping your brain young.

Concussion:

If Alzheimer’s runs in your family and you’ve gotten a concussion before, you can actually speed up your chances of getting Alzheimer’s. Scientists are starting to link the serious effect of concussions on brain memory. Doctors are hoping that these finding will help them identify more people who may be at risk at an earlier age.

Feeling Lonely:

A recent study had shown that older adults who feel lonely could be at higher risk for the disease. When adult brains were scanned, those that were classified as lonely showed more amyloid proteins than adults who were not lonely. Scientists are still trying to figure out which one of these actually comes first – the amyloid proteins or the loneliness. They aren’t positive if the dementia symptoms are what is causing people to feel more lonely or if the lonely feeling is what promotes the development of amyloid proteins. They suspect that it actually goes both ways.

Blood Pressure:

This is a given fact. We all know that having high blood pressure is bad for our bodies. If it is bad for our bodies, then it is also bad for our brains. However, the latest research published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia may actually surprise you. The study shows that when hypertension was developed at an older age, it reduced the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists are actually saying that as we get older, we become more frail and having that reserve blood pressure can actually protect us from more damage. You still need to worry about high blood pressure as a young adult. If you leave hypertension untreated, it can actually increase your risk of getting dementia later. It is very important to have regular doctor visits and try to optimize your numbers as much as possible.

It’s been said that what is good for your body is also good for your brain. Things such as a healthy diet, exercise, and keeping a healthy weight have been linked to a reduction in the buildup of certain proteins that  have been related to Alzheimer’s. However, we must keep in mind that there are other factors that can play a part in memory loss as well. The obvious one is genetics, but there are some less obvious ones. Some of them may even surprise you.

Herpes:

This year there was a study on 1,000 human brains, and scientist made a surprising discovery about the herpes virus. In this study, scientists found that the brains of people who had died from Alzheimer’s had twice the level of the herpes simplex virus 6 and 7. Both types of the herpes virus are very common and are also known to cause roseola in children. Scientists also found that the virus seemed to interact with the same genes that are linked to Alzheimer’s. You can read about the study here. In addition to that study, scientists ran another and found that the people who had the common virus that causes cold sores (herpes simplex 1) had an increased chance of Alzheimer’s later on in life. However, they proved that taking antiviral medication to treat the symptoms not only reduced risk, but may also protect against dementia. If you are someone who gets common cold sores, you may want to read more about the study here.

Polluted Air:

Women that live in a highly polluted area are 92 percent more likely to developed dementia than a women who live in an area with cleaner air. Women who carry a gene called APOE4 seem to have a higher risk for contracting the disease in a highly polluted area. Scientists state that, if this is true, then pollution could account for 21 percent of dementia cases. When we breath in tiny, contaminated particles, we get inflammation in our bodies. This inflammation can trigger or speed up the Alzheimer’s disease.

Lack of sleep:

Many people are aware that not having good sleep habits can contribute to a lot of different health risks. Scientists are finding that, over a period of time, inadequate sleep can be linked to the proteins that cause Alzheimer’s. Exercise can break up the proetins a little bit but only sleeping well can actually get rid of them. Every time you sleep, your body is taking out the trash and disposing of all the bad stuff to start fresh the next day. Allowing your body this time will keep your brain really healthy.

Smell:

Can you recognize smells, or do you have a hard time? Research has shown that people who actually have a hard time with smell seem to have an higher risk of getting the disease.  Some doctors say that if a person is having trouble differentiating between smells, that person may already have a small part of the disease in their genes. You can always try a scratch and sniff to see if you struggle with your sense of smell.

Eating:

Eating an early dinner and giving yourself a little bit of time before consuming breakfast can actually promote a healthy brain. By taking a break between your dinner and breakfast, you are forcing your body to burn ketone bodies instead of carbohydrates. Ketone bodies are the brain’s healthy fat. They will fuel your brain and are an efficient energy source while also keeping your brain young.

Concussion:

If Alzheimer’s runs in your family and you’ve gotten a concussion before, you can actually speed up your chances of getting Alzheimer’s. Scientists are starting to link the serious effect of concussions on brain memory. Doctors are hoping that these finding will help them identify more people who may be at risk at an earlier age.

Feeling Lonely:

A recent study had shown that older adults who feel lonely could be at higher risk for the disease. When adult brains were scanned, those that were classified as lonely showed more amyloid proteins than adults who were not lonely. Scientists are still trying to figure out which one of these actually comes first – the amyloid proteins or the loneliness. They aren’t positive if the dementia symptoms are what is causing people to feel more lonely or if the lonely feeling is what promotes the development of amyloid proteins. They suspect that it actually goes both ways.

Blood Pressure:

This is a given fact. We all know that having high blood pressure is bad for our bodies. If it is bad for our bodies, then it is also bad for our brains. However, the latest research published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia may actually surprise you. The study shows that when hypertension was developed at an older age, it reduced the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists are actually saying that as we get older, we become more frail and having that reserve blood pressure can actually protect us from more damage. You still need to worry about high blood pressure as a young adult. If you leave hypertension untreated, it can actually increase your risk of getting dementia later. It is very important to have regular doctor visits and try to optimize your numbers as much as possible.