Moderate alcohol consumption, exercise, better oral hygiene, and other lifestyle changes can help children of Alzheimer’s victims avoid getting the degenerative brain disease themselves, the reported June 20.

Researchers said that while family history may predispose some people to Alzheimer’s, they can cut their risk of getting the disease by adopting heart-healthy behaviors that also can preserve brain function and delay onset of Alzheimer’s. “The best time to intervene is at birth,” said researcher Mark Sager, a medical professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. “What we are hoping is that 55 is not too late.”

Sager’s research is based on the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention, which is tracking the health of 500 middle-aged children of Alzheimer’s victims. The study, which is still ongoing, found that those who drank in moderation and exercised regularly did better on cognitive tests; moderate drinkers also did better on verbal fluency tests than nondrinkers. “It’s all moderation,” he said.

On the other hand, another study found that fruit and vegetable juices may have the same protective effect as alcohol. “This is the first study to try to get at polyphenol exposure,” said Amy Borenstein of the University of South Florida College of Public Health. Polyphenols, or flavonoids, are found in plants that have antioxidant properties that are beneficial to the brain.