Natural dementia prevention

Dementia doesn’t have to come with the territory as you get older–and three new studies show how good habits for your body now can save your mind years later.

And it comes down to three things that should be a big part of your life anyway: vitamin D, tea and exercise, according to the studies presented at a recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference held in Honolulu.

Let’s start with exercise.

Researchers tracked 1,200 elderly people for 20 years as part of a study on cardiovascular risk. But the researchers also noticed that the 242 patients in the study who developed dementia tended to have something in common: more time on the sofa.

Once they crunched the numbers, the researchers found that the patients who enjoyed the highest levels of physical activity had a 40 percent lower risk for dementia in any form. Those who moved the least, on the other hand, were 45 percent more likely to come down with the mind-robbing condition.

Maybe these folks should have been drinking more tea–because another new study on seniors finds that those who sipped between one and four cups each week had a 37 percent lower risk of dementia than those who drank no tea.

The researchers say coffee didn’t show any benefits except at very high levels of consumption… but don’t let that keep you from your daily cup of mud, because other studies have found that caffeine can slow the production of amyloid-beta, an amino acid found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. (Read, “Drink to beat dementia.”)

And in the third new study, researchers confirm something I’ve told you about before: Vitamin D can lower your risk of dementia–and a D deficiency can increase it dramatically. (Read, “Vitamin D can beat cognitive decline.”)

Researchers looked at data on 3,325 American seniors and found that those who had low levels of D were 42 percent more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment.

But wait–this one gets even worse. Those who were severely deficient in D had a 394 percent increased risk. And millions of us are severely deficient in D.

You might even be one of them.

But you can kill two birds with one stone here by getting a little exercise out under the sun, where your body can make its own vitamin D as you work up a sweat, burn some calories and get your blood pumping.

In addition to slashing your risk of dementia, that all-natural vitamin D can also keep your bones strong and lower your risk for any number of diseases, including diabetes and cancer. It may also boost your immune system, and it could even help you live longer.

Then, after a little exercise and a little sun, complete the trifecta by kicking back with a cup of antioxidant-rich tea. Green tea in particular has been linked to everything from longevity to cancer prevention.