Alzheimer's Starts Decades Before the First Symptom | Dr. David Perlmutter
episodePreviously titled “Neurologist: The Shocking ROOT CAUSE of Alzheimer’s - How To Prevent & REVERSE Damage To Your Brain | Dr. David Perlmutter” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 13, 2026
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What is the main cause of Alzheimer's disease?
I think it's really important that people understand that Alzheimer's itself is the number three cause of death in America. It kills people. The rate of increase of Alzheimer's is far beyond the fact that our population is aging. One would expect that as the population ages, we would see an increase, but the rate of increase far exceeds that.
One of the most sought after minds on the planet in the fields of nutrition and brain health, four-time New York Times bestselling author, David Perlmutter.
One study demonstrated that there's a profound relationship between the number of sugary beverages and Alzheimer's risk and actual shrinkage of the brain. Really? The reality is that the metabolic defects of the brain begin 20 to 30 years prior to the clinical manifestations.
Is it possible to reverse dementia or Alzheimer's with newer mitochondria? to create a more present memory functioning brain?
The answer is absolutely.
Welcome back everyone at School of Greatness. Very excited about our guest. We have the inspiring Dr. David Perlmutter in the house. So good to see you, David. Thanks for being here again. Thanks for having me. Very excited about this because there's a massive health crisis in the world, specifically in America. It just seems to be growing and there's a stat According to the Alzheimer Association, the number of Americans living with Alzheimer's is growing, and growing fast. Nearly 7 million Americans have Alzheimer's, and by 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's may grow to a projected 12.7 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent or cure Alzheimer's disease.
Now, you've written six New York Times bestselling books, 15 books in total. You're a neurologist, medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis and treating diseases of the brain, the spinal cord, and nerves. And I'm curious, what has been, in your opinion, or with the research that you've seen, the biggest cause of this spike in Alzheimer's over the last 20, 30 years? And the fact that it just seems like it's just going to keep growing? What is the main causes of this? And is it bigger in America versus the rest of the world? Or is it kind of equal around the world?
Lots of good questions. And let's take a step back. Those statistics are worrisome. They are staggering. And they don't encompass the real issue, which is well beyond that Alzheimer's patient. And that is what does this incredible increase in Alzheimer's do to family members and loved ones and caregivers? What is the economic impact of the loss of brain function of the population in general? And the fact that the rate of increase of Alzheimer's is far beyond the fact that our population is aging. One would expect that as the population ages, we would see an increase, but the rate of increase far exceeds that. So we know that there's something operating in the background, and the fact that it's changing, i.e. increasing, indicates that it is not genetic.
If it were genetic, it'd be static. The genes wouldn't suddenly become more prevalent in the population. So we take a step back and ask ourselves, well, what is really going on? Where are we in the understanding of what in the heck is going on? And let's look at health in general, and then we'll focus on Alzheimer's because general health and Alzheimer's are not disparate issues. The same issues that are affecting the general health of the global population are at play in terms of undermining what's going on in the brain, making a good brain go bad, and it is In a word, metabolism. Metabolism is the main thing making a brain go bad. That's right. And it's not, it is not, I'll say it maybe three times, the accumulation of this protein called beta amyloid.
So what makes up a metabolism for a human being? Cells use energy and the progressive problems with our metabolic health are the number one cause of death on planet Earth. Really? Not COVID, not any other infectious disease, not war. It is the progressive loss of metabolic function that underlies our chronic degenerative conditions like diabetes and various forms of cancer and heart disease and yes, Alzheimer's as well.
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