Women More Likely to Have Alzheimer's Than Men: Twice as Likely as Breast Cancer

New research has found that women are more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease than men, and those over 60 years of age are twice as susceptible to develop Alzheimer's compared with breast cancer.

The report, provided by the Alzheimer's Association, revealed that women have a 1 in 6 chance of developing the disease in their lifetime, compared to the 1 in 11 chance that men have. The association projects that somebody in the U.S. develops the disease every 67 seconds. Nearly two-thirds of those affected by Alzheimer's are women.

Alzheimer's affects more than five million Americans and claims the lives of nearly 500,000 people each year, making it the sixth leading cause of death in the country. Although millions of dollars are sunk into Alzheimer's research each year, scientists and doctors still do not know what causes the disease. The cost of Alzheimer's care is estimated to be $214 billion for 2014.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, last year "15.5 million caregivers provided an estimated 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care valued at more than $220 billion," according to their website. This reveals that there are other costs, such as volunteer work, that are not incorporated into the actual health care numbers.

Additionally, more women are indirectly affected by Alzheimer's disease, as reports have shown that more than 60% of caregivers for the disease are women. Through analysis of health surveys provided by the Census Bureau, the National Alliance for Caregiving, AARP, as well as its own polls, the Alzheimer's Association also notes that 18% of women have taken a leave of absence from their job to care for someone with the disease and 20% have cut work hours to do the same, according to NBC News.

"Despite being the nation's biggest health threat, Alzheimer's disease is still largely misunderstood. Everyone with a brain - male or female, family history or not - is at risk for Alzheimer's," said Angela Geiger, chief strategy officer of the Alzheimer's Association.

However, medical experts provide ways to keep your brain healthy and young to prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. You can take a look at these suggestions here.