People who consume foods rich in vitamin B12 could be at lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers analyzed blood samples from more than 270 individuals who showed no evidence of dementia. They tested for levels of vitamin B12 and for levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, and then tracked the study participants for seven years.

Each unit increase in vitamin B12 reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer's by 2 percent.

According to CNN:

"The relationship between vitamin B12 and Alzheimer's risk is 'complex' ... B12 levels, particularly holotranscobalamin levels, likely play a contributory role."

You may not realize it but we are clearly in the middle of an Alzheimer's epidemic. According to the Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report for 2009, 5.3 million people in the U. S. have the disease, and it has become the sixth leading cause of death in this country.

In the next 20 years it is projected that Alzheimer's will affect one in four Americans. If that turns out to be true, it would then be more prevalent than obesity and diabetes is today!

Can you imagine? The social and economic ramifications of this would be mindboggling. There's no doubt we must start paying careful attention to this issue now in order to reverse the trend.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is frequently the prelude to Alzheimer's. MCI currently affects around 16 percent of people over the age of 70, worldwide, and about half of all people diagnosed with MCI deteriorate into Alzheimer's disease within five years.

That leaves you with just one solid solution, and that is to prevent it from happening to you in the first place.

Fortunately, this is within your power. I'm convinced that it is highly unlikely that I will ever develop Alzheimer's, for example, because my lifestyle prevents it, and I'll share my best recommendations at the end of this article.

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Preventing Alzheimer's – Naturally!

While effectively preventing associated health risks, such as obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure and heart disease, these simple lifestyle changes can also help keep your brain in optimal working order well past your 60's.

• Coconut oil-According to Dr. Mary Newport, D.M, whose husband was stricken with Alzheimer's disease, coconut oil may be KEY for not only preventing, but even reversing this disease. Certain cells in the brains of those with Alzheimer's become increasingly unable to use their primary energy souce, glucose. Without fuel, these brain cells die, contributing to the mental degeneration. But there's an alternative source of energy, known as ketones. Your body produces ketones naturally when you deprive it of carbohydrates (which further supports the recommendation to eliminate sugar and grains from your diet!), but you can boost ketone production by consuming medium-chain triglycerides, such as coconut oil.
  Dr. Newport made this connection when she discovered that the ingredient in a promising Alzheimer drug was nothing more than simple coconut oil-derived medium-chain triglycerides! Beneficial results were obtained at a dose of about 20 ml (4 teaspoons).

• Optimize your vitamin D levels through safe sun exposure, a safe tanning bed and/or vitamin D3 supplements.

  
  
• Eat a nutritious diet, rich in folate. Everyone, regardless of nutritional type, will want to avoid fructose as much as possible.
  Strict vegetarian diets have been shown to increase your Alzheimer's risk, whereas diets high in omega-3's lower your risk. However, vegetables, without question, are your best form of folate, and we should all eat plenty of fresh raw veggies every day.
  
  
• Eat plenty of high-quality animal based omega-3 fats.
  High intake of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA helps by preventing cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, thereby slowing down its progression, and lowering your risk of developing the disorder. Researchers have also said DHA "dramatically reduces the impact of the Alzheimer's gene."
  
  
• Keep your fasting insulin levels below 3. There is no question that insulin resistance is one of the most pervasive influences on brain damage, as it contributes massively to inflammation, which will prematurely degenerate your brain.
  
  
• Avoid and remove mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings are one of the major sources of mercury, however you should be healthy prior to having them removed.
  Once you have adjusted to following a good diet, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed. Please be careful as you could be jumping from the frying pan into the fire like I did if you see a conventional dentist to do the exchange. ONLY see a high quality biologically trained dentist, or your health could be seriously affected.
  
  
• Avoid aluminum, such as antiperspirants, non-stick cookware, etc.
  
  
• Exercise regularly. According to one study, the odds of developing Alzheimer's were nearly quadrupled in people who were less active during their leisure time, between the ages of 20 and 60. I would strongly recommend reviewing the Peak Fitness Technique for my specific recommendations.
  
  
• Avoid flu vaccinations as most contain both mercury and aluminum!
  
  
• Eat plenty of blueberries. Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.
  
  
• Challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such as learning to play an instrument or a new language, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
• Avoid anticholinergic drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain night-time pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers.
  A recent study found that those who took drugs classified as 'definite anticholinergics' had a four times higher incidence of cognitive impairment. In those who were not carriers of the specific gene, APOE ε4 allele which I mentioned earlier in this article, the risk was over seven times higher.
  Regularly taking two of these drugs further increased the risk of cognitive impairment.
  
  
• Ginko Biloba. Interestingly, studies have demonstrated that ginko biloba is effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. One study published in 2006 found that the herb works just as well as Aricept (donepezil) in treating mild or moderate Alzheimer's-related dementia. It's important to realize that ginko biloba will not cure the underlying problem, however but it is certainly safer to use compared to conventional drugs.

Good article. I have a problem with the flu shot recommendation, this is one item that one would have to weigh the risk vs. benefit. One flu shot per year can prevent the flu for an entire flu season. It is required by many employers of health care workers. If we did everything else on that list, I think receiving the flu shot is probably very low risk. I don't know how much mercury and aluminum is in a dose, but I am assuming it is a small amount.

I, personally, have never received the Flu Shot.
Except as mandatory while in the USAF during Basic Training (many years ago).
BUT, that is my choice and not a recommendation.
I think I had a cold, once, about 2 years ago.

If I didn't work in health care, I probably wouldn't take the shot, either. But, it is just one of those things, kind of like food, that there is a benefit as well as a risk, so one has to weigh both sides of it.

I get the flu shot because my neurologist strongly recommends it for me because of my MS. It's a good point to weigh risk vs benefit

My other thought would be to get others opinion on the non-stick cookware. That's been a struggle for because I stopped using non-stick cookware several years ago because of concerns about leaching into the food, but because i'm using so little oil with my Zone recipes most everywhere it is listed as recommended to us. I do use cast iron that is well seasoned which in most cases does the trick. I did buy a small non-stick pan to do my egg white omelette's in the morning just because it is so much easier to get the eggs out. Your thoughts?

I posted (last summer, I believe) info about a relatively inexpensive set (or individual pieces) of cookware.  Cuisinart makes a GreenGourmet set.  It uses a ceramic coating (the only interior non-stick type that Dr. Mercola recommends.) 
I looked up their (Cuisinart) website:  They apparently now have two versions a Hard Anodized exterior (the ones I purchased) and now also an Encapsulated Stainless Steel exterior: 
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 - - Cuisinart Ceramica™ Non-stick Technology, PTFE/PFOA/Petroleum Free interior, Hard Anodized Exterior.
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 - - Cuisinart Ceramica™ Non-stick Technology, PTFE/PFOA/Petroleum Free interior,
aluminum encapsulated base, stainless exterior.
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We also use and have two cast iron fry pans, a small 8 inch and a larger 16 in.
My wife tends to be anemic, so she uses the small 8 inch to cook her eggs/egg whites.
And since purchasing the 14 inch Cuisinart GreenGourmet - we hardly use the larger cast iron fry pan.
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We have used the Cuisinart GreenGourmet 14 inch fry pan for 1-1/2 years now.  It is wonderful.  Cooks fairly evenly (Gas Stove), heats well, and very, very easy to clean!   Interior is like new.  Well made. sturdy, will last a long time.
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My wife also has (a gift) a red Le Creuset ceramic coated pot.  She uses it for rice and simmering almost everything, as it has a tight fitting lid with a steam release hole.  She liked it so much (despite the color) she looked to buying additional, but they are expensive. 
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YES, I would stay away from any other non-stick coatings - we have.

Glad you re-posted this. As I have been shopping, I have been wondering what that cookware was called, and just looking around for it. I have been trying to transition to "safer surfaces" but this is one that I haven't done yet. BTW, I love red, all of my cookware is red... so if your wife ever wants to get rid of her red pot, let me know! LOL!

Great information - thanks, John!