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Are there any medications that can help prevent alzheimer's?

A fellow caregiver asked...

Good morning. My question is, what can we do to prevent getting Alzheimer's? The drug Phosphatidyl Serine Complex 500mg has been recommended to my wife to help prevent Alzheimer's. Her mother had Alzheimer's and three of her mother's brothers also had it. We also believe at least one of her cousins has Alzheimer's. Is there anything we can do to prevent my wife from getting Alzheimer's? Thank you very much. Richard

Expert Answer

Ladislav Volicer, M.D., Ph.D., is recognized as an international expert on advanced dementia care. He is a courtesy full professor at the School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, and visiting professor at the Third Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. Twenty-five years ago, he established one of the first dementia special care units.

Unfortunately, there no medication that would specifically prevent Alzheimer's disease. Phosphatidyl Serine Complex is one of many food supplements marketed as effective but having no evidence that they actually prevent Alzheimer's disease. However, there are several things that you can do to decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The most important is to prevent brain vascular changes by controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. It is also important to exercise both physically and mentally and to prevent head injury. Dietary factors that were reported to decrease the risk include moderate intake of alcohol (red wine), dark chocolate, tea, fish and curry. Fruit containing antioxidants (e.g., blueberries) may be also useful.