Question: What is your favorite part of the Alzheimer disease?

Jonathan Jackson answered on 29 Apr 2016:

Hi there Kristen!

Both Stephanie and Melissa have raised interesting points about Alzheimer’s disease. Many of the tools we have developed to study the brain over the past 30 years have come from scientists trying to figure out how Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain. And the disease seems to affect women and people of color much more frequently than men and Caucasians. There are many theories why, but we’re not quite sure.

I don’t have any love for Alzheimer’s disease – I think it is one of the most horrible things that can happen to a person who has already lived through so much, not to mention the impact on their families. What I do love is how much scientists have come together to fight the disease. Scientists all over the world, drug companies, charities, governments, and people at risk for the disease have really come together as one to beat Alzheimer’s. In the past few years, we have finally started clinical trials to see if we can prevent Alzheimer’s from happening.

One bright point is that in some groups, the rate of Alzheimer’s has started decreasing for the first time. It turns out that eating right; managing heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes; and getting enough exercise are great ways to lower Alzheimer’s risk. You don’t have to be a great athlete or swear off pizza forever – even small changes lead to big results.

So if I had to say my favorite thing about Alzheimer’s disease, it’s that at long last we have the ability to change our chances of having the disease. Between dietary changes and new medicines, there has never been more hope for beating Alzheimer’s.