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Interventions That May Slow Memory Loss in Early Alzheimer’s Disease
Written by Sherry Christiansen
about the author
3 minute readLast updated April 20, 2023
There are many interventions that have been recently targeted in clinical research studies, aimed at preventing the onset of early Alzheimer’s disease. While some of the risk factors for Alzheimer’s, such as age, can’t be changed, others can. Engaging in cognitive activities, a healthier diet, and more can help your loved one stay healthier, longer. Read more about the primary interventions for early Alzheimer’s and how you can implement them to prevent memory loss in your life.
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Interventions that may slow early Alzheimer’s
There are several stages of Alzheimer’s disease, (including stage 1, 2, and 3), as defined by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging:
- Stage 1 means that Alzheimer’s has started in the brain, but there are no symptoms of memory loss yet — this stage can last up to 20 years.
- Stage 2 involves mild changes in memory and perhaps in thinking skills as well (this stage is also called mild cognitive impairment or MCI for short).
- Stage 3 indicates that memory and thinking skills are so impaired that a person needs help to complete activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing and eating. Stage 3 is also referred to as late-stage or Alzheimer’s dementia.
- Changing modifiable risk factors such as losing weight and quitting smoking
- Cognitive activities (such as playing music and reading)
- Diet and nutrition
- Other lifestyle changes (such as getting enough sleep each day)
- Physical exercise
- Prevention of other high-risk factors (such as diabetes and high blood pressure)
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The popular approach to early Alzheimer’s prevention
One popular, relatively new approach to Alzheimer’s prevention that is backed up by scientific research is a customized protocol. This is called a “multimodal intervention.” This means that based on each individual person, the Alzheimer’s prevention, care plan is different — considering many factors including biomarkers (a measurable substance whose presence is indicative a disease), genetics and risk factors. Alzheimer’s risk factors that can be changed (modifiable risk factors) are things like: Those that cannot be controlled (non-modifiable risk factors) include: Multimodal interventions thought to slow memory loss include: There has been a phenomenal increase in evidence from clinical research studies finding that changing the diet promotes brain health across the continuum of Alzheimer’s. Diet has also been found to help improve normal age-related cognitive decline.
- Blood pressure control
- Obesity (weight loss)
- Smoking
- Age (the most influential of all the risk factors)
- Gender (women are more likely to get Alzheimer’s than men)
- Genetics
- Engaging in cognitive activities (such as music, reading or writing)
- Engaging in regular physical exercise
- Implementing the Alzheimer’s diet (Mediterranean diet, MIND diet or the FINGER diet)
- Maintaining a good sleep pattern
- Reducing stress
- Staying informed of new Alzheimer’s prevention tools
- Staying socially engaged
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Nutrients that have been studied for Alzheimer’s prevention include: It’s vital to understand that the term “prevention” means many things when it comes to Alzheimer’s, such as interventions that may prevent a person at high risk from progressing to early Alzheimer’s disease or MCI. Prevention measures could also be aimed at preventing early Alzheimer’s from progressing to Alzheimer’s dementia — this is where most of the research studies have focused. Another application for intervention calls for earlier diagnoses before symptoms arise. Many medical experts feel this is where hope lies in future prevention success. Although there are many promising new prevention measures being studied for Alzheimer’s disease today, many more clinical research studies are needed to enable scientists to learn which interventions help prevent the onset and slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s symptoms.
- Antioxidants (flavanols)
- Folic acid, B6 and B12
- Omega 3 fatty acids (from wild caught cold water fish such as salmon)
- Vitamin D
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