Dementia Risk PLUMMETS with a Personalized Plan
Earlier this week, I revealed how diet choices impact your Alzheimer’s risk—for better or worse.
But DON’T stop there. It turns out you can send your risk of this devastating illness plummeting even FURTHER with a personalized plan.
In fact, new research reveals that making specific diet and lifestyle changes can dramatically improve your dementia risk factors by an incredible 145 percent!
We’d all love to have a magic pill to cure what ails us. Or better yet, one to prevent us from getting sick in the first place.
And there ARE some fantastic healing herbs, supplements, and elixirs out there.
But despite all of those options, your individual risk of a condition like Alzheimer’s will be the MOST impacted by the daily choices you make.
Things like diet, exercise, sleep quality, stress levels, amount of social interaction, and blood sugar levels can raise or lower your dementia risk.
But let’s face it, making a bunch of lasting lifestyle changes is FAR easier said than done.
Researchers wanted to determine if working with individuals to create targeted, personalized changes could be more effective. They recruited 172 volunteers from 70 to 89 who had at least two out of eight dementia risk factors.
Half of the participants received personalized coaching, while the other half received general information on reducing dementia risk.
Instead of receiving general advice (like “eat better and exercise”), those in the personalized plan group developed approaches tailored to their personal risk factors and preferences.
In other words, the personalized plan participants were included in creating their own personal strategy. This gave them more ownership over their health and the changes they felt they could live with.
Two years later, those receiving personalized coaching had a…
- measurable BOOST in cognitive function
- 74 percent improvement over the general advice group
- 145 percent improvement in dementia risk factors
- eight percent boost in quality of life
This study adds to multiple others showing that “getting personal” with nutrition is far more effective for improving body weight, body mass index (BMI), motivation, and dietary intake than following general health advice.
Remember, when making lasting changes to reduce your dementia risk, you don’t have to “go it alone.”
Working with a doctor, nutritionist, or health coach to design a PERSONALIZED plan can mean the difference between success and failure.
And when it comes to your cognitive function, this is a game you can’t afford to lose.
P.S. I’ve got one MORE move to dial down your dementia risk. CLICK HERE for the details.
SOURCE:
Yaffe K, et al., “Effect of Personalized Risk-Reduction Strategies on Cognition and Dementia Risk Profile Among Older Adults: The SMARRT Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA Intern Med. Published online November 27, 2023. doi: 10.1001 /jamainternmed.2023.627
