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By the way, doctor: What are the chances of getting Alzheimer's in my 80s?

By the way, doctor

What are the chances of getting Alzheimer’s in my 80s?

Q. I’m 86, and someone told me that I’m no longer in danger of getting Alzheimer’s disease. My memory isn’t quite what it was, though. Would Alzheimer’s medicines help?

A. You’re right: At your age, if you haven’t developed Alzheimer’s disease, you’re much less likely to do so than someone in their 50s.

In fact, compared with the average 50-year-old, you’re less likely to develop a lot of diseases. Most diseases are caused by a combination of genes and lifestyle. Because you have reached your mid-80s in good shape, odds are that you’re blessed with a pretty good set of genes and have a healthy lifestyle that protected you from many health problems.

Many, but not all of them. What doctors call “age-related memory loss” is extremely common. (I always feel reassured when I say that!) The medicines used to improve memory in people with Alzheimer’s disease haven’t been found to help with this condition. But an explosion of knowledge about the brain molecules that affect memory may lead to new drugs. In a 2005 Newsweek article, Nobel laureate Eric Kandel was quoted as saying that the first human studies of such “memory pills” might be reported in two years.

What can you do until then? Remain mentally active: “Use it or lose it” applies to the brain as well as other organs. The brain also benefits from physical activity, so exercise at least five times a week. As for antioxidant vitamins and herbal remedies, I’m afraid the evidence is too mixed to justify any recommendations.

— Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter

Last updated:	August 21, 2006