Avoid anxiety and beat Alzheimer’s

Feel tense, nervous or restless when dealing with daily issues? Do you tremble, breathe in rapidly, break out in sweat or suffer from panic attacks when you think about the future?

Chances are, you fall into the category of 5-30% of people who suffer from anxiety disorders at some point in their lives. In fact, across the United States, it’s a common ailment affecting 40 million adults each year.

If it had been only feelings of worry and fear you had to deal with; the situation would still be manageable, but a new study has suggested that older people who suffer from acute symptoms of anxiety may be at a risk of falling prey to Alzheimer’s.

What is Alzheimer’s disease (AD)?

It’s a kind of dementia where the neurons in the brain stop functioning or die altogether. The disease begins with people failing to remember recent events. As it progresses, they face problems with language, self care, mood swings, and behavioral issues and lose their sense of orientation. Ultimately, bodily functions get lost as well, leading to death.

And the statistics are startling; in the year 2015, 29.8 million people suffered from AD. In the US alone, around 5.5 million people are living with Alzheimer’s. Of whom around 5.4 million are aged over 65.

What are some triggers of the disease?

There are no precise pointers on why Alzheimer’s is caused.

Scientists believe that beta-amyloid plays a key role. This is peptide that forms the main part of the amyloid plaques that can block nerve cell communication in those suffering from AD.  In fact, these plaques mark the onset of the disease. A shoot up in beta amyloid levels can happen a decade before AD actually sets in.

Anxiety increases beta amyloid levels .Dr Nancy Donovan, a geriatric psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA & team has published a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry.  They suggest that when anxiety symptoms increase, they cause the beta amyloid levels to shoot up as well.

What are some steps you can take to prevent AD?

Go easy on the medicines! Whether its hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol levels, you could try to minimize these cardiovascular risk factors through ways other than long term medication.

Opt for a healthy lifestyle! Read. Play board games. Complete crosswords. Play musical instruments. Socialize. Exercise. All of which can help delay the onset of AD.

Stick to a balanced diet! Avoid eating foods containing saturated fats ad simple carbohydrates. A Japanese or Mediterranean diet may also lower the risk of AD.