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Comment by coldcode | Hacker News Reader

This is one disease that getting it scares me more than almost any other; yet once someone has it deep it no longer matters to them. I've always wondered if what you do with your mind during your life has any actual influence on this disease.

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From a brief reading of the hypothesized causes[1], the most straightforward behavioral thing you can do is to avoid smoking. The sibling's comment suggests generally healthy living. Other than that, don't worry about your behavior as regards Alzheimer's; the stress isn't going to make you any healthier.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease#Other_hy...

> yet once someone has it deep it no longer matters to them.

Unfortunately, I think it is more accurate to say they are not longer the same person.

It is generally accepted that lifestyle has significant influence on Alzheimers risk.

http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_prevention_slowing...

My grandmother was a teetotaling vegetarian and came down with it. I'm of the opinion that the biggest risk factor is aging.

Anecdote does not trump data.

Agreed, my point was simply that even a textbook healthy diet isn't some silver bullet that protects you from dementia.

With little doubt, heredity does play a role. But, just because a non-smoker can still get lung cancer, should we smoke? Start with the population centers with low rates of Alzheimer's and dementia and work backwards. Even if some behaviors prove to be irrelevant, they may prove worth it for those with a genetic history of the disease.

See my other post, but if the evidence proves out that Alzheimer's is a brain-affecting form of diabetes, being a vegetarian would likely be a disadvantage from meat-eaters. By consuming less protein and fat in general than a carnivore, and more carbohydrates, you have a higher risk of diabetes. So vegetarians need to consume less rice and potatoes, and more avocados and nuts.

That's interesting because my dad (other side of the family) is diabetic and was able to keep his blood sugar under control, to the point of no longer needing supplemental insulin, by switching to a vegetarian diet. He tried going vegan, but his blood sugar got too low with a vegan diet.

Its not impossible to eat a vegan ketogenic diet, but its much harder then if you consume animal fats / protein. Vegan and non-vegan ketogenic are already very restrictive, making a ketogenic vegan much more restrictive then either. Also, many people in ketosis have very low blood sugar as their body is mostly running on ketone bodies like β-hydroxybutyrate in lieu of sugar.

Unfortunately, the evidence with vegetarianism points towards the opposite. In addition, a healthy vegetarian diet includes grains, including rice and potatoes, to make complete proteins when paired with legumes. Sure, you can go overboard, but so can everyone else. Nuts are not a complete protein and still need paired: Avocados are a complete protein, but there isn't all that much in it. Sure, they are healthy and variety in diet is good, but more isn't necesarily needed.

I don't think those point address the question: "I've always wondered if what you do with your mind during your life has any actual influence on this disease."

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