My mother was diagnosed with early onset AD at age 52. She is of full Italian decent. She is now 65 and advancing very quickly.
Several years ago, I began taking extra vitamin B6,and B12. I exercise several times a week, am always learning new challenging things and have been a vegetarian for 27 years. I am now 42, healthy and with a positive mindset. What else should I be doing since early onset AD is genetically linked. Should I look into Lithium? Other vitamins? Genetic testing? Any advice is appreciated as I have 2 young children and want to be there for them for a very long time. Caroline
Hi, Caroline -
I, too, worry about getting Alzheimer's disease (although not early onset) since it seems that everyone on my mother's side of the family had this awful disease.
I'm not qualified to make specific recommendations related to what to add to or delete from your life (although it seems from what you said that you have consciously built a very healthy lifestyle that is allowing you to lead a full life).
My one recommendation is that, if you haven't done so already, you find a primary care doctor that you truly can work with in developing what I call a "wellness partnership." Once that partnership is established, have some conversations with him/her about your concerns, about what you are doing presently health-wise, and about what you should be doing related not only to early onset Alzheimer's but to other illnesses that you might have a propensity for.
Keep up the thoughtful steps related to your health!
Dorian