Just a little regular walking cuts Alzheimer's risk in half.

At the latest Radiological Society of North America meetings, researchers reported that walking just under a mile a day could cut your risk of Alzheimer's disease in half. People who walked also preserved more brain volume in the areas related to memory. These cognitive-protecting benefits are likely a result of exercise improving blood flow to the brain.

PositiveTip: Moderate walking is a cheap and easy way to keep your brain healthy! 

Contrary to popular opinion, omega-3 supplements did not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer patients.

A randomized trial gave either a placebo or 2 grams a day of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to about 400 adults with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer Disease (AD) for 18 months. At the end of treatment there was no difference between the groups, showing that these supplements did not slow the rate of cognitive decline. 

PositiveTip: DHA supplementation probably results in little improvement among patients with AD.

Reduce the risk of dementia by engaging in moderate to heavy exercise regularly.

In the longest study of its kind, researchers have found that moderate to heavy exercise reduced the risk of developing any kind of dementia by 40%. This 20 year follow-up from the Framingham Study also demonstrated that those who reported the lowest levels of activity were 45% more likely to develop dementia. 

PositiveTip: To lower your risk of developing dementia, engage in at least moderate physical activity on a regular basis!

Eating foods with plenty of Vitamin E seems to lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Vitamin E is back in the spotlight, following dashed hopes that supplementing with this nutrient would result in many health benefits.

A new prospective Dutch study has found that those who consumed the most dietary Vitamin E at the beginning of the study experienced 25% less dementia and Alzheimer's Disease during almost 10 years of follow-up. Dietary sources of Vitamin E were primarily were primarily vegetable oils, margarine, butter and mayonnaise.

PositiveTip: A dietary pattern that includes healthy oils may substantially reduce your risk of dementia later in life.

Cell phone use might actually help prevent Alzheimer's disease! Really?

The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease has reported that researchers exposed normal mice and mice genetically bred to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) to electromagnetic fields (EMF) at frequencies equivalent to cell phones for 2 hours each day. After 7-9 months those mice exposed to the EMF were actually protected against cognitive impairment, and  AD-like symptoms were reversed in the mice predisposed to AD. Improved cognitive performance was measured in the normal mice, too. 

Being widowed from mid-life onwards is associated with a significantly greater risk of dementia!

People living in a relationship with a partner in mid-life (average age 50.4) were less likely than those single, separated, or widowed to develop cognitive impairment later in life. This new research also found that those widowed both at mid-life and later life had a significantly higher chance of being cognitively impaired compared to those who were married. 

PositiveTip: Living in a relationship with a partner probably provides cognitive and social challenges that protect against cognitive impairments later in life!