Nearly half of dementia cases may be linked to risk factors we can change. That means there are meaningful steps we can take—through healthcare, lifestyle, and the choices we make every day—to help lower our risk over time.

In this Summer Highlights episode, Annie explains why midlife is such an important window for prevention and takes a closer look at hearing loss, LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, and physical inactivity. She also explains how vascular health and brain health are closely connected. We also go beyond those risk factors to talk about nutrition and exercise—two of the most important tools Annie recommends for protecting the brain—as well as sleep, stress, social connection, and preventive healthcare.

The takeaway: you don’t need to change everything at once. Know your numbers, get your hearing and vision checked, move your body, eat for brain health, and pick one place to begin.

Chapters

00:00 Dementia prevention and what we can change
02:01 What is a modifiable risk factor?
02:49 Why midlife matters
05:25 Hearing loss and brain health
07:55 LDL cholesterol and dementia risk
09:47 Blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes
13:49 Alcohol and the brain
15:46 Exercise as a brain-health tool
16:29 Why nutrition matters
18:47 Annie’s framework for protecting your brain

Links

Listen to the full episode

Brain Health Kitchen

Lancet Commission Report on Dementia

Dr. Fenn’s paper in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease: Air Pollution and Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention: The Science and a Prevention Plan

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