Healthy Diet Might Not Lower Dementia Risk

TUESDAY, March 12, 2019 -- A long-running study questions the conventional wisdom that a healthy diet may help ward off dementia.

European researchers followed more than 8,200 middle-aged adults for 25 years -- looking at whether diet habits swayed the odds of being diagnosed with dementia. In the end, people who ate their fruits and vegetables were at no lower risk than those who favored sweets and steaks.

Even Distant Relatives' History Could Up Your Alzheimer's Risk

WEDNESDAY, March 13, 2019 -- A grandparent's mental decline or a great uncle's waning memory may indicate you, too, have greater risk for Alzheimer's disease -- especially if closer relatives have the condition, a new study says.

Alzheimer's in both a first-degree relative (parents, siblings) and a second-degree relative (grandparent, aunt, uncle, nieces or nephews) doubles your risk of the brain-destroying disorder, researchers found. But if you have one first-degree relative and two second-degree relatives with the disease, your risk increases by 21 times.

Active Brain and Body Are Powerful Weapons Against Dementia

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20, 2019 -- You need to exercise both your brain and your body during middle age to guard against dementia as you grow older, a new, long-term study suggests.

Keeping mentally active through activities like reading, playing music, sewing or painting reduces your overall risk of both dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to the report.

Education No Match Against Alzheimer's

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6, 2019 -- There are plenty of good reasons to seek a higher education, but avoiding Alzheimer's disease probably isn't one of them, new research suggests.

The study found that a person's level of education wasn't related to the onset of memory and thinking ("cognitive") troubles, or the rate at which dementia progressed.

Plunging Temperatures a Threat to People With Alzheimer's

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 30, 2019 -- The polar vortex that has enveloped much of the United States this week poses a special danger to people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.

"This type of weather can be hazardous for everyone, but even more so for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease, who may have difficulty noticing temperature and weather changes or knowing who to call for help," said Charles Fuschillo Jr., CEO and president of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.