What if the health of your brain decades from now is being shaped by what you are doing today?

We tend to think about Alzheimer's and cognitive decline as problems that show up later in life, once memory starts slipping or confusion becomes noticeable. But many of the factors associated with brain decline can begin much earlier. Blood sugar, insulin resistance, sleep, inflammation, muscle mass, exercise, social connection, oral health, and even the medications you regularly take may all influence the environment your brain is aging in.

This matters because brain health gives you more areas to act on than most people realize. You can pay attention to metabolic markers before they become major problems, build and preserve muscle, protect your sleep, stay socially connected, take care of your oral microbiome, and understand which emerging therapies actually have evidence behind them. The earlier you start thinking about your brain this way, the more opportunity you have to influence how well it functions later.

Dr. David Perlmutter is a board-certified neurologist, six-time New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized expert in brain health, nutrition, and neurodegenerative disease. His latest book, Brain Defenders, explores microglia, the brain's immune cells, and how their function may influence conditions including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. His work focuses on giving people practical ways to protect brain health through metabolism, lifestyle, and emerging neuroscience.

What's Discussed:

(05:51) What research suggests about slowing or even improving cognitive decline in people already diagnosed with Alzheimer's through intensive lifestyle intervention.

(10:47) Why Alzheimer's should not be viewed as purely genetic and how lifestyle and metabolic health can influence risk even when genetic predispositions are present.

(12:19) How loneliness and social isolation may affect brain health through stress, cortisol, oxytocin, inflammation, and changes in the brain's immune cells.

(20:50) Why the biological conditions associated with cognitive decline may begin in your 40s and 50s, decades before memory problems become obvious.

(30:34) How exercise supports the brain through BDNF, irisin, and other chemicals released during muscle activity, and why both cardio and strength training matter.

(38:00) Why restorative sleep is an active period for memory consolidation and brain recovery, and how fragmented sleep can undermine brain health even when you spend eight hours in bed.

(1:04:34) What the science currently says about NAD, NR, NMN, and IV NAD for mitochondrial function, biological aging, and cognitive health.

(1:12:04) How periodontal disease, the oral microbiome, and frequent use of certain antibacterial mouthwashes may affect nitric oxide, metabolism, and long-term brain health.

(1:23:05) What emerging research says about GLP-1 drugs for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and why using or microdosing them specifically for brain protection is still ahead of the evidence.

(1:33:25) Why homocysteine and fasting insulin are two blood markers worth paying attention to when assessing metabolic and long-term brain health.

 

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Find more from Jen Cohen:

Website: jennifercohen.com

Instagram: @therealjencohen

Books: jennifercohen.com/books

Speaking: jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

 

Find more from Dr. David Perlmutter:

Website: drperlmutter.com

Instagram: @davidperlmutter

Facebook: David Perlmutter M.D. 

YouTube: @davidperlmutterMD

LinkedIn: David Perlmutte, MD

Book: Brain Defenders