There’s a new company that’s quickly making a name for itself called Trust & Will. (The first legally valid electronic will in the US.) Their mission aims to “take the confusion out of something that feels like a scary concept”—that “scary concept” being anchored in the fact that confronting our own mortality is something we’re typically not clamoring to do.
Well the same holds true on the Alzheimer’s and Dementia front. People don’t want to think about these horrifying diseases until they’re forced to—and when they’re forced to, it’s generally too late to do much of anything about it. (Did you know that by 2050 the number of Alzheimer’s cases is expected to double?) But before you pull the ripcord and opt-out of the rest of this post, I urge you to keep reading, because the news gets better—there are things you can do to prevent yourself from becoming one of the stats.
A decade ago, when it truly dawned on me that as a single woman without children, I was pretty much on my own, I started paying closer attention to things like will-writing and cognitive health. (I also began destroying compromising journals—but that’s a topic for another day.)
At first, doing a deep dive into cognitive decline was a scary thing indeed—because back then, the conventional school of thought said that you really couldn’t do much about it. You either had the gene or you didn’t.
But things have changed. As functional medicine has become popularized (medicine that looks at the whole system, the underlying root causes of disease, versus treating the symptoms), the research around Alzheimer’s and the understanding of what it is, and the lifestyle modifications we can make to protect ourselves—even if we are one of the 23% of people who have the gene—has yielded incredibly positive results.
During the intervening years, I’ve continued to self-educate not only on this topic, but on overall health, longevity science and fitness—all with the goal of increasing my healthspan (the new catchphrase alternative to lifespan) and the odds of my living a sprightly, independent life for the rest of my days.
At the bottom of this post, I will include my go-to resources beginning with the “If you only have 3 minutes a day” list, graduating to longer-form podcasts, and ultimately to books for those of you willing to invest the time.
But back to the topic of this post, which was inspired by an interview between Dhru Purohit (his podcast is one of my go-tos) and Dr. David Perlmutter, The Silent Symptoms of Dementia and Brain Decline, (Perlmutter’s book Grain Brain: Your Brain’s Silent Killers, started me off on this learning journey back in 2013.)
Here’s the deal: We don’t just wake up one day and suddenly have Alzheimer’s or Dementia—those diseases are 20-30+ years in the making. (Which qualifies what I’m about to share as one of those Wit & Wisdom kinds of things I wish I’d known back then, when the modifications had a chance to make the biggest difference—those of you younger readers, or those who have adult children, please take note.) But as Dr. David Perlmutter says in this interview, “as long as you have agency over your lifestyle, it’s never too late to make the changes that can positively impact your brain.”
Dr. Perlmutter goes on to say—strap yourself in for a scary stat—that by the time we reach 85, 50% of us will suffer from Alzheimer’s or Dementia. But—and this is where you get to ditch the scary stat and focus on the positive—if we get certain things inline (the list follows)—and work to maintain a healthy brain metabolism—we can reduce that risk by up to 70%.
Key Takeaways From that Conversation:
There are four warning signs that might indicate you’re a candidate for developing Alzheimer’s or Dementia
Belly Circumference—obesity, or being overweight
Blood Sugar—Pre-diabetes or full-blown diabetes (If you have diabetes you are 4x-ing your chance of ending up with Alzheimer’s. The “why” behind the issue with sugar follows in Note 1 below.)
Elevated Blood Pressure—Blood Pressure relates to Blood Flow—the higher the Blood Pressure the lower the Blood Flow, which again causes cognitive issues. To retain brain health, we need resilient blood vessels.
Level of Physical Activity—Sedentary life-style
Bottom Line: At several points during the interview, Perlmutter re-emphasizes that by getting the above inline, you can help reduce your risk of developing the disease by up to a staggering 70%. And remember, even if you have the gene, that doesn’t mean it will necessarily present. Lifestyle is often the bigger determinate.
So while we all would love for there to be a silver bullet that removes the Alzheimer’s and Dementia threat, until that day comes, addressing these things is the best insurance any of us have. And yes….I know….Making lifestyle changes is not easy—even the discussion of what modifications and interventions work and those that don’t, can be both confusing and incredibly polarizing.
All I have on offer is what seems to work best for me—a willingness to apply critical thinking and open-mindedness to the conversation, and once I have the data, then I feel equipped to make the decisions that serve me best. And if knowing the facts, I still want to cozy up on the sofa with a plate of cookies and a bag a chips, well then, that’s fully on me.
Thanks for reading, and if this post resonates, please consider hitting the ‘like’.
Diana
(Links Follow Notes)
Note 1: The “Why” behind Blood Sugar as it Relates to Cognitive Issues
During the interview, Perlmutter says, “There is a powerful relationship between average blood sugar measurement (which is called hemoglobin A1c) and brain shrinkage….a perfect correlation exists between higher levels of A1c and faster brain shrinkage. Even having blood sugar levels between 100 and 105—in which a doctor will give you a pat on the back—is associated with increased risk of dementia, so we have to redefine normal ranges to what is optimal. And I can assure you, it’s not having blood sugar of 100 to 105.”
Or put another way, high blood sugar over time (sugar, processed grains) damages blood vessels in the brain that carry oxygen-rich blood. When your brain receives too little blood, this brain atrophy can cause problems with memory and thinking and eventually can lead to vascular dementia.
Note 2: New Promising Research on Potential Reversal of Alzheimer’s
There is some new research led by Dr. Dale Bredesen, that indicates that Alzheimer’s may even be reversible. I’m still squinty-eyed on that topic because I haven’t done the research. (And it sounds a little too good to be true.) But even if it doesn’t prove out, just the mere thought of it presents a nice little glimmer of hope.
Links and Other Stuff:
If you’re new to functional medicine as a discipline, and you’re interested in learning more, but don’t want to spend that much time digging in, here’s the “3 Minutes a Day List.”
Who to follow on Instagram…
Dr. Mark Hyman (My overall favorite—easy, digestible, tidbits.)
Dr. Peter Attia (Really good, but dense on the science)
If you have more time….
Podcasts to consider:
The Doctor’s Farmacy with Mark Hyman
The Peter Attia Drive Podcast (Again, he digs deep into the science)
If you want to do a deep dive…
Books to Read:
Dr. Peter Attia-Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
Dr. Mark Hyman-Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life
Dr. Dale Bredesen-The Root Causes of Memory Loss & How to Build An Alzheimer’s Resistant Brain
I am a huge fan of agency - and always good to have a sense of options. Thanks for the generosity of this post!
🙂. your philosophy is to not take everything at face value. Mine is more aggressive which is to remain skeptical about EVERYTHING. If you think that this skepticism can be annoying to others, I must confess that it seems to be. Thank you for your post.