We know that some part of Alzheimer’s is related to genetic changes and as time goes on we discover more and more of these changes. But it is also possible that non-genetic changes, including lifestyle and behavior, may also be affecting our brain health and our risk of developing brain diseases, like Alzheimer’s, maybe in combination with our genetic predisposition… Alzheimer’s Reading Room Jay Smith wrote previously about his own program of healthy diet and supplements, mental and physical exercise, and socialization and creative self-expression — This Man Decided to Fight Alzheimer’s — Jay Smith. Jay’s article reminded of a research study I read in 2009. Researchers studied the combination of exercise and the Mediterranean diet to determine if they helped reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Please understand there is no magic bullet. This studies findings do not say if you exercise and eat a Mediterranean diet you won’t get Alzheimer’s disease. The study found that those subjects who were very physically active had a 33 percent risk reduction of Alzheimer’s, those who adhered more strongly to a Mediterranean-type diet had a 40 percent risk reduction. found that there was a gradual decreasing risk for Alzheimer’s in study participant s who were reporting that they were both exercising a lot, and following a diet closer to the Mediterranean-type: those subjects had a 60 percent reduction in their risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise and Mediterranean-type Diet Combined Appear to be Associated with Lower Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease Findings of Observational Study Warrant Further Research in Controlled Clinical Trial to Clarify the Role of These and Other Possible Factors Contributing to AD Risk Both being more physically active and adhering to a Mediterranean-type diet appears to be associated with reduced Alzheimer’s risk, according to a report in the August 12, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). While previous studies have only investigated the association between either physical activity or diet and Alzheimer’s disease risk separately, this new research explored their combined association. “Often times people who exercise also follow a healthy diet and vice versa. We wanted to tease out which of these two behaviors may be associated with lower risk for AD, or if the combination of the two is associated with decreased risk even further,” said Nikos Scarmeas, M.D., lead author of the study and associate professor of clinical neurology in the Department of Neurology, in the Sergievsky Center and in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center. This population-based study in a multi-ethnic community living in Northern Manhattan, observed 1880 elderly subjects, with an average age of 77. The participants were interviewed about their level of physical activity and dietary habits, and their responses were then summarized into two single scores. The study subjects were then followed to observe which subjects went on to develop Alzheimer’s over the course of approximately five and a half years. To learn about their physical exercise routine, participants were queried about their activity during a two week period prior to the interview. The subjects were asked to quantify how many times they engaged in physical activity and for how long

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