I have heard that learning a new language as well as doing crossword puzzles helps.

I personally learn a new word every day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The human brain is made of cholesterol. I believe a diet rich in red meat and good fats is key. And never take a statin drug.

Ouch this is so painfully ignorant.

I suppose it's ignorant if your diet consists of take-out, fried foods, mayonnaise made with canola and soybean oil, etc. A paleo diet is best for health.

Anonymous wrote:Haven't read the responses, but I keep up to date on the research. I do the key things:

-healthy mostly plant based diet avoid ultra=processed foods
-exercise especially use weights
-don't drink alcohol at all
-healthy relationships and more boundaries with toxic family
-keep learning new things and keep up hobbies (while still working as much as is possible)
-manage mental health-which for me was about boundaries with certain extended family members
-floss daily and avoid mouth wash-especially mouth wash with alcohol

I’ll google to see why to avoid mouthwash. I never heard that before.

OP

NYT word games
Try to make sure I have no inflammation
Keep my weight manageable
Sleep well
Get some good endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine going by playing and snuggling with the dog
Regular and enjoyable sex
Learning new things

Anonymous wrote:It's genetic, there's nothing you can do.

No actually research has established that lifestyle factors are a greater than 50% influence on cancers AND dementia.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eat plant based, little oil, little sugar. No animal products.
Shingles vax.
Good sleep hygiene.
GLP-1.

Absolutely not. Not as you age. Protein is super important and most aging people do not get enough in their diet to sustain the muscle mass they need. This is terrible advice.

No, this is NOT terrible advice. Go do a google search for vegan body builders. Humans can get
ALL the protein they need from PLANTS, without any of the negative effects of consuming animal products. Do you think gorillas aren’t strong? I mean seriously, crack and book and stop getting nutritional advice from bros on tik tok.

Peppercorn pp, do you put that on food or just eat them without chewing?

Anonymous wrote:The human brain is made of cholesterol. I believe a diet rich in red meat and good fats is key. And never take a statin drug.

Ouch this is so painfully ignorant.

Anonymous wrote:Haven't read the responses, but I keep up to date on the research. I do the key things:

-healthy mostly plant based diet avoid ultra=processed foods
-exercise especially use weights
-don't drink alcohol at all
-healthy relationships and more boundaries with toxic family
-keep learning new things and keep up hobbies (while still working as much as is possible)
-manage mental health-which for me was about boundaries with certain extended family members
-floss daily and avoid mouth wash-especially mouth wash with alcohol

I forgot to include the mouthwash one in my list - luckily was never big on the stuff except maybe just before a date, but was shocked to learn in recent years how bad it is for gut and thus brain health. Brush, floss - ditch the mouthwash.

I eat lots of fiber and at least 30 different plant sources weekly - spices and coffee/tea count in this equation, it’s not that hard to accomplish. A healthy gut it foundational for a healthy brain.

I got my shingles vaccine the day I turned 50; there is a correlation between being vaxxed against shingles and a lower rate of dementia.

Similarly I get the updated Covid vaccine yearly, because research has established that those who do have a lower rate of cancers in subsequent years. The mRNA vaccines stimulate the immune system to work more efficiently in general, which means it works better at attacking developing cancer cells which occur in any aging mammal on a regular basis. Also anything that keeps the immune system robust will help with maintaining brain health.

I read and do puzzles and engage new ideas on the regular.

I eschew alcohol entirely - it’s poison that shrinks the brain and especially bad for an aging brain.

I try to work on my physical activity levels, which is a bit of a challenge because my job - caring for profoundly demented patients - is largely sedentary. Recently I’ve taken up weight lifting and body weight exercises I can do while hand feeding and otherwise caring for my current profoundly demented patient.

Dementia is awful; it’s worth it to do whatever you can to avoid or delay it.

Haven't read the responses, but I keep up to date on the research. I do the key things:

-healthy mostly plant based diet avoid ultra=processed foods
-exercise especially use weights
-don't drink alcohol at all
-healthy relationships and more boundaries with toxic family
-keep learning new things and keep up hobbies (while still working as much as is possible)
-manage mental health-which for me was about boundaries with certain extended family members
-floss daily and avoid mouth wash-especially mouth wash with alcohol

Anonymous wrote:I think there is NO way to prevent dementia/alzheimer's. No one could have been more mentally and physically active, in better health than my Father. And it came for him.

Not buying these prevention suggestions. Do the many things suggested for yourself to live healthier now, now in the moment. Best you can.

Like basically all disease, you either have it in your genes or you engage in behavior that can bring it on.

Plenty of incredibly fit people drop dead of a heart attack because they had an underlying genetic problem only discovered in autopsy, and plenty of people drop dead of heart attacks because they smoked like chimneys and were obese.

Dementia is no different. Some have it in their genes regardless of lifestyle, and others engage in lifetime behaviors that cause it.

Anonymous wrote:I think there is NO way to prevent dementia/alzheimer's. No one could have been more mentally and physically active, in better health than my Father. And it came for him.

Not buying these prevention suggestions. Do the many things suggested for yourself to live healthier now, now in the moment. Best you can.

I’m sorry.

It’s hard to say. We don’t know what he ate, how many times he had a concussion as a child, what his nutrition was like as a child, or what was in his genes.

My father exercised and was a voracious reader. It’s hard to know what caused it in this case. I first noticed it in him at 77, and he died at 87. His mother lived to 102 without memory problems, but her mother did have them.

My dad retired early and probably had depression, and that could have contributed to his decline.

Depression (untreated) is a risk factor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Avoid risky behaviors...wear bike helmets et al.

A recent study believes that the period of say 1950 - 1990 has been the worst for behavior resulting in head injuries during youth that contributes to dementia. Bike helmets weren't prevalent...kids got concussions playing sports and then just sent right back onto the field...etc.

Wow, I didn’t know that. I’m glad I did not play sports then!

I did have a concussion, though, and no treatment for it back in the day. Thankfully, I never fell off my bike and hit my head.

OP

So, in fairness...the study mentioned all the behaviors resulting in head injury that often was ignored. The study doesn't really care how you received your head injury, though multiple head injuries are of course worse than one (and I assume you didn't immediately engage in the behavior that resulted in your concussion).

Not to bring up a really ugly other correlation...but abused women often have sustained multiple concussions and are also at heightened dementia risk.

That’s true that I did not immediately repeat the behavior. In my case, I was hit while playing tennis but only one time.

I do remember that I returned to work and had trouble doing simple math.

IIRC, one can possibly heal concussive events (grief can be a concussive event) by taking good care of the brain through a diet rich in omega-3 and other elements.

Since omega 3 doesn’t hurt anything, I just make sure to eat those foods or supplement.

The omega 3 connection is not completely proven yet looks promising:

https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Publications/2025/05/15/Information-Paper-on-Omega-3-Supplements-for-Mild-Traumatic-Brain-Injury#:~:text=KEY%20TAKEAWAY,mild%20TBI%20requires%20further%20study.

OP

Anonymous wrote:I’m doing all the things mentioned already.

I’m also having as much fun as possible b/c I’ve got 27 yrs before I’m the age my mother got Alzheimers. She did everything right but the gene is strong (her mother and sister died of Alz and her other sister has it now).

I’m glad you are doing this. My mother was advised to do some things to enjoy her money but she rarely did. Now, a large chunk goes to the people who own the assisted living…

OP