A: There is no surefire way to prevent Alzheimer’s, but you can reduce your risks, and food may help. Some parts of India have the lowest reported dementia rates in the world. One possible explanation that comes up repeatedly in research is that people in India eat a lot of the curry spice turmeric, which contains a powerful antioxidant called curcumin. In fact, many people eat a heaping tablespoon of turmeric daily (that’s about 60 to 200 mg of curcumin), and they put it in just about everything, including curries, rice, soups, dal (lentil stew), and puri (fried bread), which are staples of the Indian diet. There was just a study on fruit flies that revealed that turmeric-fed flies lived longer than those that did not have the spice in their diet. The flies that ate turmeric also maintained their mobility longer. More from Prevention: Indian Food Made Easy Americans don’t eat much turmeric, but you can buy curcumin as a supplement. UCLA researchers have a trial under way to see if a daily capsule can lower levels of dangerous amyloid in the brain to slow the decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Other observational studies have found a lower risk of dementia in people who eat more antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits. As you age, your body’s ability to produce its own antioxidants declines, so consuming them in your diet becomes even more important at this stage of life. Researchers in Pittsburgh have also found that eating fish every week can be protective against Alzheimer’s because of the omega-3 fatty acids that fatty fish contain. Finally, there’s a saying that what’s good for the heart is good for the brain, so aim for a heart-healthy diet. If nothing else, it can help you control high blood pressure. This may be especially useful for preventing multi-infarct dementia, which is essentially caused by a series of mini-strokes and is a common reason for memory loss in the elderly. When blood flow to the brain is disrupted, brain tissue is damaged. If enough of these tiny strokes occur, it becomes a problem. SANJAY GUPTA, MD, is chief medical correspondent for CNN and a practicing neurosurgeon at Emory Clinic in Atlanta. Send your questions to askdrgupta@prevention.com. Sanjay Gupta, MD, is chief medical correspondent for CNN and a practicing neurosurgeon at Emory Clinic in Atlanta.