Alzheimer’s currently afflicts nearly 6 million Americans. If a cure or delay is not found by 2050, it is estimated that those afflicted globally will rise to 150 million.
All of the drugs developed to treat Alzheimer’s thus far have had little or no effect on the progress of the disease. All of this sounds terribly hopeless. However, hope is exactly what Dr. Michal Beeri and Dr. Samantha Holden provided the Vail Symposium/B’nai Vail audience in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
What has shown promise for delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s or ameliorating the symptoms are modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, physical activity, depression, cognitive activity, and obesity. A cure may not be on the horizon, but the message both doctors imparted was that everyone has it in their power to reduce their chance of developing Alzheimer’s.
