Neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson shares the most important lifestyle habits to help reduce the risk of the common brain disease.
Alzheimer’s affects more than 5 million Americans, and by 2050, that number is projected to increase to nearly 14 million, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. However, recent advances in the field are giving doctors newfound hope in the area of prevention. Experts are learning that the disease actually begins 20 to 30 years before the first symptoms appear. During this time, the disease begins to develop silently in the brain, and recent estimates suggest that more than 46 million Americans are now affected by this initial, or “preclinical,” stage of the disease.