639: How to lower your Alzheimer’s risk at any age | Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D.

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The mindbodygreen Podcast 46 min 2 speakers 6 chapters transcribed

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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

Jason Wachub 0:00

Welcome to the My Buddy Green podcast. I'm Jason Wachub, founder and co-CEO of My Buddy Green and your host. What if most of what we fear about aging and memory loss is simply wrong? And what if the brain you have today doesn't have to be the brain you have tomorrow? Today's guest is Dr. Mahid Fatouhi, a Harvard and Johns Hopkins trained neurologist, brain health researcher, and author of Invincible Brain. Dr. Fatouhi has spent his career studying one of the most pressing questions of our time. Why do some people's brains deteriorate with age while others stay sharp well into their 80s and 90s? His answer might surprise you. Cognitive decline, he argues, is far more preventable and reversible than most of us have been led to believe.

Jason Wachub 0:42

In fact, 45% of dementia cases may be preventable through modifiable lifestyle factors alone.

What are the misconceptions about aging and cognitive decline?

Jason Wachub 0:48

In today's show, we explore what the latest biomarkers can and can't tell us about Alzheimer's risk and why testing tower amyloid in isolation can lead to unnecessary panic. We discuss the five pillars of brain health that can actually grow the size of your hippocampus in as little as 12 weeks, and why chronic stress may be the most underrated threat to your brain, and how lifestyle interventions outperform current Alzheimer's drugs by 2-400% in clinical trials. If you've ever worried about memory loss, been confused by brain health, lab work, or simply want to show up sharper and more resilient as you age, this show is for you. You argue that 45% of dementia is preventable. What are the most surprising modifiable factors that people overlook here?

Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D. 1:37

I think that people don't appreciate how important it is to move their body. Sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor for cognitive decline, as well as strokes and heart attacks. Also, recently we have come to appreciate that hearing loss and vision loss can contribute to cognitive decline and dementia. So I have been talking about how a dozen different medical conditions can contribute to the brain shrinkage that eventually causes cognitive decline and get people to get a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. And so I feel great to know that the international community and this recent paper in Lancet that showed 14 risk factors can reduce the load of dementia in the world by 45%. But they did not look at all the factors.

Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D. 2:30

It's not just that there are only 14. There are 14 that they have already studied and established. There are other factors that, for example, they have not considered and are very important, such as insomnia, if you're sleeping fewer than six hours a night, or sleep apnea, which means you snore at night. and then you feel tired and groggy during the day. So the bottom line is that there are many different factors that can contribute to the brain shrinkage with aging, which then causes cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.

Jason Wachub 3:02

You know, you mentioned Alzheimer's, and this is exciting, interesting, and also scary in that there are so many tests one can do right now. And you say it is one of the most misunderstood tests biomarkers in this new era. You know, what can you test for? P-tau, amyloid, NFL. In your view, what is really important here and what are we missing with regards to these biomarkers?

Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D. 3:32

This is an excellent question, Jason. So the brain shrinkage that results in cognitive decline and eventually Alzheimer's disease has many components. One component of it is the amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which almost everybody has heard about these days. Another component is inflammation in the brain. Another component is reduced blood flow in the brain. And another component is the reduced rinsing of the brain that happens mostly at night. So these are the main components of the super problems, which I describe in my book. There's a super problems that causes a cognitive decline and brain shrinkage. Now, the new biomarkers focus on the amyloid plaques and tau tangles. and there is a panel of different blood tests that people can obtain.

How can lifestyle factors prevent dementia?

Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D. 4:29

The most accurate and reliable component of that list of biomarkers is the ratio of amyloid beta 42 to 40, that's one number, and the other one is tau.