There is currently no way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers are looking for ways to slow, delay, or possibly prevent it.

Researchers are studying treatments and strategies that may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, including:

  • cognitive training
  • physical exercise
  • blood pressure management
  • diabetes and depression treatment
  • social interaction
  • sleep interventions
  • vitamins such as B12, D, and folic acid

Read on to learn more about the ways you may be able to lower your risk.

There are many steps you may be able to take to lower your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease. But it’s a good idea to talk with a doctor before making any major lifestyle changes.

Eat a nutritious diet

Some evidence suggests a Mediterranean diet may decrease the chances of developing Alzheimer’s. In a small 2018 studyTrusted Source with 70 participants, people who more closely followed a Mediterranean diet had fewer biomarkers of progressive Alzheimer’s over 3 years than those who followed the diet less closely.

A Mediterranean diet includes little red meat and emphasizes:

  • whole grains
  • fruits and vegetables
  • fish and shellfish
  • nuts
  • olive oil and other healthy fats

Other studies suggestTrusted Source that antioxidants may affect age-related changes in the brain. A 2022 research reviewTrusted Source suggests that berry-based supplements and foods, which contain antioxidants, may have positive effects on cognitive performance, executive functioning, learning, and memory in older adults.

People in the studies included in the review ate the following types of berries:

  • blueberries
  • blackberries
  • raspberries
  • strawberries
  • cranberries

Other research has examinedTrusted Source curcumin, which is a major component of turmeric, the yellowish spice often used in curry dishes. Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant. In research on animals, it seemed to suppress the buildup of harmful amyloid plaques in the brains of rodents. Amyloid plaques are one aspect of the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Keep up your mental exercise

Keeping your brain active may reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer’s. Activities that may be helpful include:

  • reading newspapers or books
  • playing puzzle games and engaging in other challenging activities
  • visiting museums
  • learning a new language

Engaging in mental exercise seems to create or contribute to your cognitive reserve, helping you develop new neurons and pathways in your brain.

Why is this important? Usually, your brain has just one road for transporting information from point A to point B. If there’s a roadblock or a dead end, the information won’t make it. People who develop new ways of thinking through mental exercises create alternative routesTrusted Source, or new neurons, in their brains.

Increase your social engagement

Keeping up your engagement with others may help prevent Alzheimer’s or reduce your chances of developing it. In a 2018 studyTrusted Source, researchers followed 7,511 adults for 9 years and found that people with high or increased social engagement had a lower risk of dementia.

Social activities help exercise your brain by engaging mental skills.

Exercise daily

Daily exercise may help prevent multiple types of dementia or help reduce symptoms in people who have the disease.

The authors of a 2020 review of studiesTrusted Source suggest that there’s a clear link between exercise and Alzheimer’s disease, and that physical inactivity is one of the most common preventable risk factors for developing the condition. This is because exercise appears to be effective in improving cognitive function. It also has fewer side effects than medications.

Quit or reduce smoking

Smoking may increase your chance of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s. There is an association betweenTrusted Source smoking and changes such as cognitive decline and increased frailty.

If you smoke, quitting can be beneficial for many aspects of your health, including brain health. You can talk with a doctor about methods that could work for you.

Get more B vitamins to lower your homocysteine levels

Homocysteine is an amino acid that is a building block of protein. It naturally circulates in your blood. An international consensus statementTrusted Source from experts states that higher-than-average blood levels of homocysteine are a risk factor for:

  • Alzheimer’s
  • vascular dementia
  • cognitive impairment

Foods high in folate (folic acid) and other B vitamins, such as B6 and B12, seem to lower homocysteine levels. But it’s not yet known whether increasing your intake of these B vitamins might offer a protective effect against Alzheimer’s.

Food sources of folate includeTrusted Source:

  • romaine lettuce
  • spinach
  • asparagus
  • broccoli
  • mustard greens
  • peanuts
  • banana
  • tomato juice
  • papaya

Food sources of B6 includeTrusted Source:

  • chickpeas
  • poultry
  • banana
  • spinach
  • salmon
  • fortified cereals

Food sources of B12 includeTrusted Source:

  • fish
  • red meat
  • fortified nutritional yeast and cereal
  • poultry
  • eggs

What triggers Alzheimer’s?

Researchers do not know yet what causes Alzheimer’s or triggers the onset of symptoms. But the disease tends to occur more often in people who have a family history of it, those who are 65 years old or older, and those who have cardiovascular disease.

Can Alzheimer’s be prevented if caught early?

Early diagnosis cannot reverse the changes that Alzheimer’s causes. But early diagnosis may help delay or preventTrusted Source the onset of dementia by offering the chance to reduce risk factors for the condition.

Who is more likely to get Alzheimer’s?

You may be more likelyTrusted Source to develop Alzheimer’s if you have a family history of the condition along with other risk factors. Alzheimer’s is most common in people 65 years old and older. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity may also increase your chances of developing Alzheimer’s.

Researchers don’t yet know how to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. But there are many ways that you may be able to lower your chances of developing it.

Staying mentally and physically active, eating a nutritious diet, and keeping an active social life may help reduce your risk of experiencing cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s. All those habits can also help you maintain your overall health.