What are the causes of Alzheimer’s disease? This has been a question plaguing doctors and researchers for years. Currently, the causes are not entirely known. However, recent research has shed a great deal of light on the subject.

There are two kinds of Alzheimer’s disease. One type, Familial Alzheimer’s disease, is very rare and can be found in less than 10% of the people suffering from Alzheimer’s. Those suffering from it are afflicted much earlier in life than the more common form of the disease. Familial Alzheimer’s is genetically based; a specific gene for the disease is passed on from parents to children.

The causes for the more common form of Alzheimer’s are not as easily determined. Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., President and Medical Director of the non-profit Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, has identified several risk factors which potentially contribute to the development of the disease.

Age is the primary risk factor for developing typical Alzheimer’s. Most people contract the disease later in life, generally after the age of 65. Furthermore, the risk for developing Alzheimer’s increases exponentially as you enter your 70’s and 80’s.

While Alzheimer’s is generally not a genetically inherited disease, there is evidence that there may be a hereditary component to the disease. People who have parents or siblings with Alzheimer’s are at an increased risk for developing the disease.

Furthermore, researchers have found that people who carry the APOE-e4 gene, a sub-type of the APOE gene, are vastly more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s than people who contain the other APOE gene sub-types (e2 and e3).

There are several studies that indicate a correlation between levels of education and Alzheimer’s disease. The more education a person completes, the less likely he or she is to develop Alzheimer’s later in life.

Stroke and heart attack victims are also at an increased risk for the disease. Similarly, people who maintain an unhealthy lifestyle put themselves at greater risk. High blood pressure and cholesterol have been linked to Alzheimer’s, as has problems with uncontrolled diabetes.

There has also been evidence that women who take estrogen supplements after menopause increase their risk for Alzheimer’s. While the link has not yet been conclusively determined, women might want to take this into consideration when deciding on hormone therapy after menopause.

Serious and traumatic head injuries have been identified as a causal factor for the disease as well. When engaging in dangerous activities such as skiing, biking, and kayaking, it is important to take proper steps to protect your head in order to avoid concussions and other brain injuries.

During his fifteen years working with the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, Dr. Khalsa has found strong evidence that many of these risk factors can be reduced by adopting healthy lifestyle practices.

Although the ARPF tries to answer the question of “what are the causes of Alzheimer’s disease?”, it is most concerned with prevention. It urges people to make an effort to reduce stress in their lives, eat a healthy and balanced diet, and remain both physically and mentally active. By adopting these changes in your life, you can go a long way to preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

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Now I would like to invite you to visit the non-profit Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation website at http://www.alzheimersprevention.org to discover even more tips about how you can maintain healthy brain functioning and memory well into the later stages of your life.