Is Osteoporosis A Reliable Predictor of Alzheimer’s?
The link between strong bones and a healthy brain
Hello, Brain Health Ambassadors! I write to you from New Jersey, where I am speaking at the pharmaceutical company Eisai about Alzheimer’s prevention. I jumped at the chance to spend an entire day with their employees. This company developed the latest FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drug, and I’ll be talking to them about the role of brain-protective diets to reduce risk. As I wrote in my book, I believe prevention is the cure. Until then, getting newer and better drugs for Alzheimer’s to market is essential.
Today we are talking about the link between bone and brain health. At first glance, your brain doesn’t seem to have a lot in common with your bones. But, scientists are starting to look at bone loss to see if it could be an accurate predictor of cognitive decline later. If so, detecting the first signs of osteopenia (mild bone loss) could give us a heads up to be proactive about brain self-care, too.
A study published earlier this year showed that those with low bone density have a 42% increased risk of cognitive decline later in life. This caused quite a stir in the news. There were many sensational headlines!
If you are dealing with bone density issues, the news was probably alarming. Like most studies, though, it’s important to dig into the details to see if the headline is an accurate portrayal of the results.
Your bone health and your brain health are related, though there’s no need to panic if you have bone loss. Read on to get more context and learn more about basic concepts in bone health, plus how to take care of your bones (and by extension, your brain).
