🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at http://zoe.com Dementia is one of the fastest-growing health crises in the developed world, with cases expected to double in the coming decades. But despite common misconceptions, cognitive decline isn’t inevitable. The latest research shows that lifestyle choices play a far greater role in brain health than genetics alone. In this episode, neurologists Drs. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai share practical, science-backed strategies to help you protect your brain and reduce your risk of dementia. As co-directors of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University, they’ve spent their careers studying how habits like diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management influence long-term cognitive health. 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30: https://zoe.com/daily30?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=podcast_platform&utm_campaign=d30 Follow ZOE on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Timecodes 0:00 Meet the brain doctors fighting dementia 0:36 Can you reduce your dementia risk? 1:04 What if your parents have dementia? 2:00 Can dementia be reversed? 02:25 5 lifestyle changes to prevent Alzheimer’s 03:10 The story that brought these doctors together 05:00 Jonathan’s personal experience with dementia 06:07 What is dementia vs. Alzheimer’s? 08:50 Are your genes to blame? 10:00 The myth that dementia is an "old age" disease 12:49 Dementia starts 20+ years before diagnosis 14:10 4 biggest causes of Alzheimer’s 19:04 How to build brain reserve & stay sharp 25:01 London taxi drivers prove you can grow your brain 29:00 This diet cuts Alzheimer’s risk by 53% 44:10 Leg workouts slash dementia risk by 35% 50:36 Stress shrinks your brain! 54:00 Sleep: The brain’s natural detox 57:20 The #1 habit for brain health 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook | https://amzn.to/4amfIMX Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati | https://amzn.to/4blJsLg Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector | https://amzn.to/4amZinu Free resources from ZOE: Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition | https://zoe.com/freeguide Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks | https://zoe.com/gutguide Studies mentioned in today's episode: Association of Lifestyle and Genetic Risk With Incidence of Dementia, 2019, published in JAMA https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31302669/ Dementia statistics, published by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) https://www.alzint.org/about/dementia-facts-figures/dementia-statistics/ World Alzheimer Report 2015 - The Global Impact of Dementia, published by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) https://www.alzint.org/u/WorldAlzheimerReport2015.pdf Midlife serum cholesterol and increased risk of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia three decades later, 2009, published in Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19648749/ Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here: https://gf6hx47iu5g.typeform.com/topicsuggestion Episode transcripts are available here: https://zoe.com/learn/category/podcasts