Video: Alzheimer's Is Now a Leading Cause of Death
Story at-a-glance
- Alzheimer’s disease, a severe form of dementia, affected an estimated 6.7 million Americans in 2023, and deaths from Alzheimer’s more than doubled between 2000 and 2019
- Previous U.S. data placed the number dying from Alzheimer’s disease around 83,000 in 2010. By 2014, research suggested the true number was well over half a million per year — more than six times higher than previously thought. Today, 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or some other dementia, and the death toll exceeds that of breast- and prostate cancer combined
- Since there’s no conventional cure, prevention is crucial if you want to avoid becoming a statistic. Two key strategies are lowering your linoleic acid (LA) intake and avoiding estrogen and estrogenic compounds
- Advances in diagnosis are being made. For example, researchers have created a blood test that predicts Alzheimer’s with great accuracy. There’s also a peanut butter smell test, and a free 15-minute at-home test called Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination (SAGE) that can facilitate early diagnosis
