Can Dementia Be Prevented? What the Latest Research Shows

Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of

the Truth, Lies and Alzheimer's show. Well, I hope you all know

me by now, but if you're new to the show, I'm Lisa Skinner, your

host. As we know, there currently is, sadly, no cure for

Alzheimer's disease and other dementia. However, we now know

that there are ways that we can reduce the likelihood of

experiencing cognitive decline. Now, according to research from

the Lancet Commission, about 45% of dementia cases may be

preventable if people address modifiable risk factors, and I

want to add that they just increase that statistic From 40%

to 45% so you know these studies and evidence based research that

have been going on for decades are really demonstrating that

they are effective. So that's what I'm going to talk to you

about today. And of course, as we all know, Alzheimer's Disease

is a progressive degenerative disorder that attacks the

brain's nerve cells, causing symptoms such as memory loss.

This irreversible condition impacts more than 7 million

Americans today and anybody who has entered the dementia world

knows that it takes a toll on the people who are living with

it, the care partners and the health care providers, Along

with our family members, loved ones, now again, Alzheimer's

disease is a type of dementia which encompasses other diseases

of cognitive decline. We know there are over 100 and these

diseases are a leading cause of death among older adults. As a

matter of fact, about one in three seniors die from

Alzheimer's disease, or one of the other brain diseases that

causes dementia, and that is According to the Alzheimer's

Association. So here are Alzheimer's disease and dementia

by the numbers, Alzheimer's is the most common form of

dementia. The number of people living with Alzheimer's has

risen in recent years and is expected to keep rising. I've

mentioned this many times before, but I'm going to tell

you again, by the year 2050 the Alzheimer's Association

predicts, and also, the World Health Organization is saying

exactly the same thing, that nearly 13 million Americans will

be living with Alzheimer's disease, and that's just

Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050 now, while Alzheimer's and

dementia are increasingly common, they are not a part of

normal aging, so it's very important that We talk with our

doctors about our own potential risk a level and bring up any

concerns you have for you or a loved one's memory as you

continue to age. So can Alzheimer's disease be

prevented? Currently, there's no cure for Alzheimer's disease or

any of the other brain diseases that cause dementia, or even a

tried and true method for preventing cognitive disease,

either. But there are many ways to reduce our risk of cognitive

decline, and again, according to the Lancet Commission,

eliminating 14 potentially modifiable risk factors from our

lives may actually help us prevent developing Alzheimer's

disease and related dementia. So here are the potentially

modifiable risk factors, the 14 that they are letting us know

about, and they include this one has

moved way to the top of the list. Hearing loss, it has now

been substantiated that hearing loss is one of the highest risk

factors that we know of that will contribute to us developing

Alzheimer's disease, having high LDL, cholesterol, a lower

education level, particularly early in life. The reason why is

because you don't give yourself the same opportunity to build

that neuroplasticity and cognitive reserve that folks who

have advanced, more advanced educations. Depression is high

traumatic brain injuries are now proving to be a very high risk

for developing dementia, physical inactivity, diabetes,

smoking, hypertension, obesity, excessive alcohol use, social

isolation in elder years, and we have really been made aware of

that as a result of what we saw during covid, exposure to air

pollution later in life, and then the last one is vision loss

in our later years. But I want to emphasize that not all of

these factors are modifiable for everyone, and some perceivably

Healthy People will still end up with Alzheimer's disease. It

does not discriminate. It can pick on anybody at any time, but

at least now, we know there are things that we can do to lower

that risk. But like everything else, more research is underway

about the disease, and more answers are yet to be uncovered.

I actually am. Have been blown away at the progress that

research has made just in the last few years, and it continues

to bring to light so many new discoveries. So that's for me, I

think just such a positive indication that we are on track

for discovering either a treatment or a cure in the near

future. Still, experts suggest that practicing certain healthy

habits may actually really reduce our Alzheimer's risks.

This is a quote most of the risk of Alzheimer's disease seems to

be determined by genetic makeup and factors that are yet to be

determined. And Dr S Ahmad sajadi is telling us that, and

he's a neurologist at UCI health and an Associate Professor of

Neurology at UCI School of Medicine in Orange County,

California. Lot of people want to know is Alzheimer's

hereditary? This is the answer. People with a family history of

Alzheimer's disease may be more likely to develop the disease,

According to the Alzheimer's Association, but again, not

everybody with a family history of Alzheimer's will end up

developing it. I hope that's true, because I have had eight

family members who have lived with one of these brain diseases

that causes dementia, and five of those are blood relatives. So

you think that might increase my risk? Yeah, so here are 11

simple ways to reduce our dementia risk, and while these

methods are certainly not guaranteed to spare us from

developing disease following them may definitely help reduce

our risks. So this is the question, What should we do

after a dementia screening? And I'm going to explain the science

behind dementia prevention.

This is all science and evidence based fact. Recent research has

revealed new detection methods for Alzheimer's and dementia as.

Well as new thoughts on best practices for that prevention.

So here we go. Number one, structured lifestyle changes,

research has shown that we can strengthen our cognition and

reduce our risk for cognitive decline if we follow a

structured model paired with coaching and support, According

to findings from the 2025 2026 us pointer study. So this is

very recent which tested two lifestyle programs in more than

2000 older adults. Structured programs appear to be much more

successful at preventing dementia than self guided

tactics now Dr Adil Papa lotsa, a Board Certified neurologist

and the stroke medical director at Pomona Valley Hospital

Medical Center explains that consistency matters more than

intention. He says most people already know they should

exercise, eat well and sleep better, yeah, and structured

programs to turn good intentions into regular habits. Alzheimer's

risk is multi dimensional. It is influenced by physical activity,

diet, sleep, vascular health, mental stimulation and social

connection. Now, structured programs intentionally address

all of these together, rather than focusing on just one area

or discipline. Structured programs may also help patients

measure health metrics and track behaviors, which can hold them

accountable to changing bad habits, he adds, and this may

lead to improved health outcomes in the future.

He also tells us, in simple terms, behavior change is far

more likely to stick when it is supported by structure and

accountability. Structured interventions can take place in

team, group settings or classes, but they don't have to you can

still create structure by putting activities on a calendar

using simple tracking tools, exercising with a partner, and

scheduling regular health check ins with your health care

provider. Some areas where structured lifestyle

interventions may help prevent Alzheimer's and dementia include

planned exercise, nutrition guidance, cognitive and social

engagement, sleep support and health monitoring. There's also

the biomarkers for early detection. Researchers have also

discovered biomarkers in the body that offer clues about

cognitive future. I've mentioned this one before, the p tau 217,

is one such biomarker. It's a blood biomarker that reflects

activity from the tau protein, which is closely linked to

amyloid buildup in the brain and can occur during Alzheimer's

disease, doctors can actually now test your p tau, 17 levels

through a p tau 217, blood test, which when paired with other

diagnostic information can help inform your doctor if you are at

risk for Alzheimer's disease. So what exactly are p tau? 217,

blood tests. Well, they're blood tests that check for normal tau

changes that may be associated with Alzheimer's related amyloid

buildup in our brains. Seeing this change in the blood does

suggest those Alzheimer's type processes may be happening in

the brain. Dr popolozzi says these tests help identify the

likelihood that a patient with cognitive, simple symptoms also

has Alzheimer's related biology, but do not diagnose Alzheimer's.

He adds in 2020, Five, the US Food and Drug Administration,

also known as the FDA, cleared a p tau blood test known as Lumi

pulse, G, P, tau, 17, B, amyloid one, hyphen, 42 plasma ratio to

assist in Alzheimer's disease diagnoses. So this is really

fairly new. This test measures two proteins in our blood,

including the p tau, 217 program protein, sorry, and your B,

amyloid, one hyphen, 42 protein, and it provides data on whether

there are or aren't amyloid plaques existing in Our brain.

This test cannot diagnose Alzheimer's disease alone, we

still don't have means to do that. This is getting much, much

closer, and must be paired with other diagnostic tools like

clinical evaluations. Now, downside, due to their

limitations, these p tau, 217, blood tests are not recommended

for asymptomatic individuals, in other words, people who are

showing no signs or symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, but it may

still be recommended for people with new or unexplained

cognitive symptoms, or those who are under evaluation for a neuro

degenerative disease

among the intended populations. And this is another quote,

people can use results to better understand their risk, guide

next diagnostic steps, determine their eligibility for treatments

or clinical trials, and motivate more intensive prevention

strategies. This comes again from Dr papalazzi. He also says

this shift, This shifts the focus towards earlier and more

proactive intervention. That's a huge stride vascular health, the

brain, body connection, according to the 2024 Lancet

Commission highlights, LDL, cholesterol and other vascular

conditions as modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's and

dementia, properly managing vascular risks, including

managing blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes can

benefit your cognitive health, but neglecting your vascular

health can definitely hurt it. Dr Dong Trin, an internist at

Memorial care medical group in Irvine, California, who is also

the chief medical officer of healthy of the healthy brain

clinic, says that it's important that people control their blood

pressure, especially in midlife, as high blood pressure can and

does contribute to cognitive impairment and dementia.

Environmental risks for cognitive decline, it's not just

your own actions that increase or decrease your risk of

cognitive decline. The world around us plays a huge role as

well. Environmental Risks can threaten various aspects of our

health, and that includes brain function and cognition. So

staying aware of environmental hazards out there and taking

steps to avoid or mitigate them when possible may help you

preserve your brain function in the long term, some of the steps

we can take to minimize our environmental risks include

reducing exposure to air pollution, improving the air

quality in our homes through steps like Having proper

ventilation and filters, reducing exposure to toxic

chemicals, drinking clean water, creating a safe home environment

that minimizes risks for falling and head injuries, practicing

strength and balance, training to safely navigate obstacles

like. Stairs or even or uneven ground, also addressing

depression, anxiety and chronic stress matters, maintaining

social engagement matters. Dr papalozzi tells us that many of

these changes are simple, but they're powerful when applied

consistently, we actually can ask our physicians to perform a

memory test as part of our annual physical and also a

memory test that typically consists of answering questions,

and they last about 10 to 15 minutes and can be administered

by doctors, physician assistants, psychologists,

social workers, nurses, pharmacists and other health

professionals. The health professional administering the

screening will review the results with you and may suggest

a follow up with another physician for more testing for

people looking for affordable screening options. The

Alzheimer's Foundation of America does offer free,

confidential memory screenings Monday through Friday on secure

video conferencing technology appointments, however, are

needed to book a screening.

Okay, so I'm going to go over with you some of the most

frequently asked questions that are Googled on the internet that

I get asked, just to remind everybody, probably one of the

most frequently asked questions out there. And we've discussed

this many times, is there a cure for Alzheimer's disease and

dementia? The answer is still no. There is no cure for

Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Another question, what

causes Alzheimer's disease and dementia? We're not entirely

sure, but research suggests that a combination of age related

changes in the brain, genetic, environmental and lifestyle

factors do contribute to our risk of developing it, though

these do vary from person to person. How are Alzheimer's and

dementia diagnosed. We do have more than one method that can be

used to make an Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis as best we

can not 100% up to 90% is the latest statistic, and these can

include neurological exams, brain imaging, MRI, PET scans,

fluid and blood tests, memory assessments, cognitive and

functional assessments, physical exams and evaluations of the

patient's medical history. So here are the key takeaways from

today's episode. You can think of it like this, dementia is not

necessarily a destiny for all of us, but nearly 45% of dementia

cases are potentially preventable by managing the 14

modifiable risk factors like hearing loss, vision and

hypertension, and I went over them earlier in the episode,

structure Beats Solo effort following A structured, coached

program like the US pointer model is and has proven to be

much more significantly effective at preventing

cognitive decline than the self guided lifestyle changes.

Another takeaway the rise of blood tests, the new p tau, 217,

blood tests allow for earlier, less invasive detection of

Alzheimer's biology, shifting the focus toward proactive

intervention before symptoms worsen. Brain Health is vascular

health, controlling the triple threat, which is blood pressure,

cholesterol and diabetes is the most direct way to prevent the

brain injury that leads to cognitive issues. Impairment. So

there you have it. Thanks again for being here with me today. I

really appreciate everybody taking time out of their busy

schedules to attend and watch this episode of the truth lies

and Alzheimer's show. The sources for my episode will be

in the show notes, if you want to refer to them and dig a

little deeper into what we talked about today. So in the

meantime, as always, I will be back next week prepared with a

nother new episode for you on this truth lies in Alzheimer's

show? Once again, I'm Lisa Skinner, your host, and I hope

you have a great rest of your week. In the meantime, stay

happy, try to stay healthy, and I'll see you back here next

week. Thanks again.