45% of Dementia May Be Preventable. What Does That Mean For You?

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. Chapters00:00 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