HuffPost: 7 Things Dementia Experts Would Never, Ever Do

HuffPost recently interviewed Zaldy Tan, MD, MPH, medical director of the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders and the Carmen and Louis Warschaw Chair in Neurology at Cedars-Sinai, about lifestyles or habits that can damage the brain and should be avoided.

Certain lifestyles may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, a type of dementia that affects more than 6 million people in the U.S. For example, social isolation can negatively affect the brain, Tan said.

“A lot is happening when we’re interacting, we’re processing a lot,” Tan told HuffPost. “When we don’t do that, those neural pathways are not being utilized and they start to redirect or dissipate, which can accelerate cognitive decline.”

Tan also cautioned against ignoring stress levels, because prolonged periods of stress can impact brain health.

“Having sustained levels of stress is bad for you,” Tan told HuffPost. “When you’re stressed, your cortisol shoots up, and if it’s sustained, it can damage the brain.”

Tan also told HuffPost that it’s important to keep an eye on your blood pressure.  

“Hypertension, or high blood pressure, that’s uncontrolled shows increased risk of developing dementia later in life,” Tan told HuffPost. “The correlation is less later in life, but we have the benefit of these longitudinal studies following people from 1947—people who are in their 70s and 80s now, we have their blood pressure from their 40s and 50s—and there is a correlation.”

Other ways to protect brain health include avoiding processed foods and getting enough exercise and sleep.

Click here to read the complete article from HuffPost.