Alzheimer’s is a disease that is characterized in the brain by the evidence of tangled fibers and protein clumps. It appears to generally affect people who are older and thus for a long time was lumped together with other more common forms of dementia or senility.

After the discovery of Alzheimer’s and the subsequent realization that there was no immediate cure – the next imperative question was whether or not it was possible to prevent the disease from starting in the first place.

To determine whether or not it was preventable it needed to be determined how high the risk factor was if genetics played a role. To date, the best information has come from the study of identical twins with the same genes but who have lived life in different fashions. The results demonstrated that while one may develop the disease the other while at obviously greater risk didn’t necessarily get it. In other cases, while both twins got Alzheimer’s it was not to the same degree. This showed that other factors played a role besides any genetic influence. This opened the possibility that there were factors that could be focused on and altered that would lower the risk of getting the disease.

One connection that is noted is the link between those that have suffered a severe head trauma and the existence of Alzheimer’s. It is a disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain. Any severe head injury could logically open up the brain to this vulnerability. Thus a very practical measure is to protect the brain by safety measures such as wear a helmet when bicycling, skate-boarding or indulging in any high risk activity.

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