Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Understanding the Risk and How to Protect Your Brain

Alzheimer’s disease is currently the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more lives each year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Despite its devastating impact, much of the medical community’s attention is still centered on slowing progression with drugs and therapies rather than preventing the disease before it starts.

The truth is, if you understand the nature of dementia and Alzheimer’s, you can make lifestyle changes today that protect your brain from decline later in life.

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What is Dementia?

The Alzheimer’s Association defines dementia as:

“a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Dementia is not a specific disease. It’s an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.”

Dementia is diagnosed when two or more cognitive functions are significantly impaired, such as:

• Memory

• Communication and language

• Focus and attention

• Reasoning and judgment

• Visual perception

Because dementia is progressive, the symptoms worsen over time. It may start with small lapses—like forgetting where you put your keys—but it can eventually lead to forgetting the names of loved ones, neglecting to eat, or losing the ability to care for yourself.

The disease damages brain cells and interferes with the way they communicate, ultimately affecting thinking, movement, mood, and behavior.

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Risk Factors for Dementia

While dementia can affect anyone, certain factors increase the risk:

• Traumatic head injuries

• Thyroid dysfunction

• Depression or chronic stress

• Low physical activity and sedentary lifestyle

• Obesity and poor nutrition

• Vitamin deficiencies (especially B vitamins and vitamin D)

• Certain long-term medications

• High cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Diabetes and insulin resistance

• Excessive alcohol use

• Smoking

• Advanced age

• Family history of Alzheimer’s or dementia

If you fall into one or more of these categories, making preventive lifestyle changes now can strengthen your brain health and reduce your risk later in life.

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Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s

Dementia is an umbrella term, while Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60–80% of cases.

Other types include:

• Vascular dementia

• Dementia with Lewy bodies

• Mixed dementia (a combination of types)

• Parkinson’s disease dementia

• Frontotemporal dementia

• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

• Normal pressure hydrocephalus

• Huntington’s disease

• Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

Early symptoms include:

• Difficulty remembering recent events, names, or places

• Apathy, mood changes, or depression

As the disease progresses, symptoms may involve:

• Confusion and disorientation

• Trouble communicating

• Poor judgment

• Behavioral changes

• Difficulty swallowing, walking, or speaking

Biologically, Alzheimer’s is linked to beta-amyloid plaques, tau protein tangles, and the gradual death of nerve cells in the brain.

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9 Natural Strategies for Preventing Alzheimer’s

If you’re at higher risk—whether due to age, lifestyle, or family history—you can take proactive steps to protect your brain. Prevention may not be complicated, but it requires consistency and commitment.

1. Quit Smoking

Smoking not only raises your risk of cancer and heart disease but also dramatically increases dementia risk.

A large Finnish study found that smoking two or more packs a day between ages 50 and 60 nearly doubled the risk of dementia later in life. The good news? Former smokers and those who smoked less than half a pack a day did not show the same risk.

Researchers believe the danger lies in the way smoking triggers oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, both of which damage brain cells.

💡 If quitting feels overwhelming, consider natural herbs and detox strategies to ease withdrawal, reduce cravings, and support lung repair.