There’s a growing body of evidence that shows that we do have some control over protecting ourselves from signs of dementia and cognitive decline — and even the physical damages of Alzheimer’s on the brain — through lifestyle.
A number of studies provide some fascinating evidence that highlights how lifestyle relates to one of the telltale signs of Alzheimer’s: amyloid plaques in the brain. These plaques begin appearing years before any symptoms of dementia appear. The plaques and the damage they cause are easily identified in brain scans and autopsies, and when researchers looked at their relationship to controllable lifestyle factors, some intriguing and encouraging findings emerged.