Alzheimer’s Disease Statistics

• Alzheimer’s affects approximately 4.5 million Americans and is
expected to affect up to 16 million by 2050.
• Alzheimer’s affects approximately 5 percent of men and women
ages 65–74.
• Nearly half of people 85 and older have Alzheimer’s.
• Alzheimer’s must be distinguished from mild cognitive impairment
and normal age-related memory changes.
(National Institute of Aging. Alzheimer’s Disease Information, May 9, 2006)

Physical and mental health: same strategies

Research evidence is accumulating, showing that many of the same strategies for maintaining physical health are also applicable for maintaining brain plasticity and good cognitive functioning throughout the lifespan. These studies reinforce the message that exercise—physical and mental—is an essential part of any comprehensive health program (ALTERNATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES—OCTOBER 2006 pp 222-227)

Exercise and balance for intelligence

Exercise can help maintain balance, and balance in the elderly has been highly correlated with performance measures of mental abilities such as general intelligence, memory, and reaction time. Balance thus serves as a biomarker of cerebroarterial blood flow
and age-related global neurophysiologic status (Neuropsychologia 2006;44:1978–1983).

Meditation and cortex thickness

Magnetic resonance imaging to assess cortical thickness revealed that brain areas—such as the prefrontal cortex involved with memory, attention, and sensory processing—were approximately 5 percent thicker in the subjects who meditated compared with those who did not. This difference was most pronounced in older participants, suggesting that meditation might offset agerelated cortical thinning (Neuroreport 2005;16:1893–1897)