
New Alzheimer’s study reveals which lifestyle habit could help make a difference
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
These 4 habits are key to heart health in middle-aged women, study reveals
A new study from the University of Pittsburgh sheds light on the most impactful habits that can help reduce cardiovascular risk. Researchers found that sleep, blood pressure, blood glucose, and smoking had the greatest long-term impact on heart disease outcomes. The study found significant arterial thickening and stiffness in women entering their 50s, a change often undetected until damage is already underway. The good news? You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. Even small shifts, like swapping salty snacks for fruit or taking evening walks, can gently nudge blood pressure in the right direction. The New York Post emphasizes the value of following the LE8 framework, which includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising 150 minutes per week, avoiding tobacco use, and monitoring cholesterol, weight, waist circumference, and blood sugar, all modifiable factors, all of which are preventable through informed lifestyle choices and early and proactive care. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
From increased belly fat and hormonal fluctuations to higher risks of inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and vascular stiffening, this phase of life poses a critical turning point for heart health.
A new study from the University of Pittsburgh, cited by the New York Post, sheds light on the most impactful habits that can help reduce cardiovascular risk. Analyzing data from nearly 3,000 women, researchers found that four specific behaviors — sleep, blood pressure, blood glucose, and smoking — had the greatest long-term impact on heart disease outcomes.
4 habits every woman should track to protect her heart
1. Sleep quality: a nightly reset for your heart
Poor sleep isn’t just tiring, it can be dangerous for your heart. According to the New York Post, the study emphasized that sleep disruptions during menopause are common and can worsen cardiovascular markers. Hormonal shifts affect circadian rhythms, leading to insomnia and fragmented rest. This, in turn, increases cortisol levels and insulin resistance, both of which contribute to heart disease. The American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) includes sleep as a vital metric for this reason.
Researchers found that better sleep directly correlated with healthier blood pressure and glucose levels, two other key metrics for heart protection.
“Sleep can suffer with the symptoms of menopause,” said study co-author Samar R. El Khoudary, as quoted in Medical News Today. “This has implications for heart health we can’t ignore.”
2. Blood pressure: the silent strain on your arteries
As estrogen declines during menopause, women become more vulnerable to elevated blood pressure.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The New York Post reported that the study found significant arterial thickening and stiffness in women entering their 50s, a change often undetected until damage is already underway. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is known as the “silent killer” because it typically shows no symptoms until it’s too late. Yet, it’s one of the most modifiable risk factors.
Lifestyle changes like reducing salt, managing stress, and exercising regularly can help control it.
“There’s a change in vascular health, with increasing thickness and stiffness in the carotid artery,” El Khoudary noted. The good news? You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. Even small shifts—like swapping salty snacks for fruit or taking evening walks—can gently nudge blood pressure in the right direction.
3. Blood glucose: the hidden predictor of heart risk
Even without a diabetes diagnosis, elevated blood sugar levels in middle age are a serious warning sign.
According to the study referenced by the New York Post, blood glucose control was among the strongest indicators of future cardiovascular trouble in menopausal women. Insulin resistance tends to rise during this period due to hormonal and metabolic shifts, increasing the likelihood of plaque buildup in the arteries.
Experts advise limiting processed sugar, maintaining a balanced diet rich in fiber and healthy fats, and staying active to manage blood glucose levels effectively.
Regular screening is also vital, as many cases of prediabetes go unnoticed until complications arise.
4. Smoking: the most avoidable threat to the heart
Despite decades of public health warnings, tobacco use remains one of the most damaging and preventable contributors to heart disease. The New York Post noted that smoking was one of the four top predictors of heart problems later in life, especially in postmenopausal women. Nicotine and carbon monoxide not only increase heart rate and blood pressure but also damage the lining of blood vessels, accelerating atherosclerosis.
The benefits of quitting are immediate and profound. Just one year after quitting, the risk of coronary heart disease drops by 50 percent. Combined with improvements in sleep, blood sugar, and blood pressure, stopping smoking creates a compounding protective effect for the cardiovascular system.
A call to action: know your numbers, take control
“Nearly 45 percent of women over 20 are living with some form of cardiovascular disease,” cardiologist Dr. Stacey Rosen told Fox News Digital, underscoring the need for early and proactive care.
Yet, the good news is that most heart disease is preventable through informed lifestyle choices.
Doctors recommend regular monitoring of cholesterol, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, and blood sugar, all modifiable factors. The New York Post emphasizes the value of following the LE8 framework, which includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising 150 minutes per week, and avoiding tobacco use.
Your midlife years are not just about managing symptoms. They are a crucial window to strengthen your heart for the decades ahead.
Trying to keep your brain young? A big new study finds these lifestyle changes help
Study: Diet, exercise and brain training can improve thinking and memory in older Americans. Study of more than 2,100 sedentary people in their 60s and 70s found results. Results are limited to changes in normal brain aging, not Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Association planning to invest another $40 million over four years to implement what they’ve learned from POINTER study.”There is no way to form a new habit or change behavior without intentional work on a regular basis,” study’s lead researcher says.”This is really showing that we can change people’s trajectories over time,” says Jessica Langbaum of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, who was not involved in the research.”If you already do the crossword puzzle and it’s not challenging, you might want to pick up something that is,” Langbaum says. “If you’re already living a healthy lifestyle, you may want to do something that’s challenging, as well. It’s a challenge, but it’s worth it”
toggle caption J Studios/Getty Images
Scientists have unveiled the strongest evidence yet that a combination of diet, exercise and brain training can improve thinking and memory in older Americans.
A study of more than 2,100 sedentary people in their 60s and 70s found that those who spent two years on the intensive regimen not only improved their mental abilities but appeared to reduce the usual declines associated with aging.
“These people are obtaining cognitive function scores that are similar to people [like them who are] one to two years younger than they are,” says Laura Baker, one of the study’s principal investigators and a professor of gerontology and geriatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Sponsor Message
“This is really showing that we can change people’s trajectories over time,” says Jessica Langbaum of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, who was not involved in the research.
Results of what’s known as the POINTER study were reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto. They were published simultaneously in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The results are consistent with earlier findings from a smaller Finnish study, which involved a less diverse population. They are also consistent with decades of research suggesting that single interventions, like exercise, could reduce brain and cognitive changes associated with aging.
A study of people at risk
The POINTER study was limited to people ages 60 to 79 who had normal memory and thinking but were at elevated risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
“You had to be sedentary, not a regular exerciser, and you had to be consuming a suboptimal diet,” Baker says.
Half the participants were asked to come up with their own plan to eat better and exercise more.
The other half entered an intensive, highly structured program that included aerobic exercise four times a week, adherence to a heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, online cognitive training, mandatory social activities and monitoring levels of blood pressure and blood sugar.
Both groups improved on tests of memory and cognition, but the intensive group did markedly better.
Though difficult, the intensive regimen was “life-changing” for many participants, Baker says. Most were able to make substantial and lasting changes, thanks to coaching, supervision and lots of encouragement, she says.
“There is no way to form a new habit or change behavior without intentional work on a regular basis,” Baker says. “It’s impossible.”
Next comes the hard part
The Alzheimer’s Association spent nearly $50 million conducting the POINTER study. The National Institutes of Health spent an even greater amount to have many of the participants undergo brain scans, blood tests and sleep studies that, once published, will provide additional information.
Sponsor Message
The results are limited to changes in normal brain aging, not Alzheimer’s disease. But scientists think lifestyle changes that improve cognition and reduce “brain age” are likely to delay dementia, including Alzheimer’s.
So the Alzheimer’s Association is planning to invest another $40 million over four years to implement what they’ve learned from POINTER.
“The translation from the POINTER prescription to how we then deliver that into the community is absolutely the next step,” says study co-author Heather Snyder, a senior vice president at the Alzheimer’s Association.
To do that, the group will be asking a range of questions, Snyder says: “What’s somebody going to respond to? Is it going to be something from their health care provider? Is it some sort of app, a motivation using technology? Is it something in their technology that they go do?”
These kinds of efforts to change behavior nationwide should be bolstered by Americans’ growing desire for guidance on how to improve their brain health, she says.
“At the Alzheimer’s Association, it’s one of the top questions we get,” she says. People often say things like, ‘My mother had dementia, my father had memory problems — what can I do?’ And that’s a motivating question for someone.”
One important step will be buy-in from the nation’s health care providers, Langbaum says.
“Doctors should be treating lifestyle interventions as they would a drug,” she says. That would mean prescribing regimens like the one in POINTER and getting insurance companies to cover those prescriptions.
Another boost to implementation could come from study results still in the works. These include analyses of brain scans and blood tests indicating whether a person’s cognitive improvement was accompanied by measurable changes in brain health.
Those results are expected to be published later this year. In the meantime, Langbaum says, even people who are living a healthy lifestyle might want to up their game.
Sponsor Message
“If you already do the Sunday crossword puzzle and it’s not challenging, pick up something new, find that exercise regimen that you’ll adhere to,” she says, “and if you can do it around people, that’s even better.”
Langbaum notes that socializing is one of the best ways to keep your brain young.
Alzheimer’s progression could be slowed by these changes to lifestyle
Walking has been linked to lowering dementia risk, and those who walk more slowly could be showing early signs of the condition. People with a gene variant called APOE4 showed steeper declines in their cognitive abilities. Walking appeared to have the strongest protective effect on individuals with this gene mutation. consuming refined sugars and living a more sedentary lifestyle could hurt people with the gene, University of Southern California Alzheimer’s researcher Hussein Yassine said. Other studies have promoted a keto-based diet and additional nutritional approaches to benefit the brain health of these patients. The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s impacts nearly 7 million Americans – and that number is projected to nearly double in the next 25 years.
The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s impacts nearly 7 million Americans – and that number is projected to nearly double in the next 25 years. The neurodegenerative disease results in memory loss and the decline of other cognitive abilities.
On Monday, two studies being presented at the Alzheimer’s Association annual meeting have underlined the benefits of diet and exercise. One study shows that walking in particular helps to keep minds sharp by producing a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.
“BDNF is like fertilizer for your brain that is naturally produced, especially when you are being physically active, such as when you are walking,” Cindy Barha, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Calgary, told NBC News. “It helps brain cells survive, grow and form stronger connections; this supports memory, learning and mood, especially in the hippocampus, which is the brain’s memory center.”
Walking has frequently been linked to lowering dementia risk, and those who walk more slowly could be showing early signs of the condition.
One study involved 3,000 adults and found that those with a gene variant called APOE4 showed steeper declines in their cognitive abilities.
Everyone is born with the APOE gene, which plays a critical role in metabolism and brain function. A genetic test can reveal which variant you have, including one that reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and one that doesn’t seem to affect the risk.
APOE4, which is present in as many as 15 percent of people, increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Walking appeared to have the strongest protective effect on individuals with this gene mutation.
The second study also found that people with the APOE4 variant could benefit more from lifestyle modifications. The 2,500-person study, which included more than 700 APOE4 carriers, had people exercise, undergo dietary counseling, and complete brain tests.
Jenni Lehtisalo, from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, told NBC News that there was about a four times greater benefit for those positive for APOE4.
Keeping to a healthy diet can make a difference, researchers say. Whereas consuming refined sugars could hurt people with the APOE4 variant (Getty/iStock)
It’s unclear exactly why these interventions are so effective for people with APOE4 or when they might be most effective, but the findings build on previous research showing promise in using exercise as a treatment for carriers, and to reduce dementia risk.
Other studies have promoted a keto-based diet and additional nutritional approaches to benefit the brain health of these patients.
On the other hand, consuming refined sugars and living a more sedentary lifestyle could hurt people with the gene, University of Southern California Alzheimer’s researcher Hussein Yassine told Science.
“Modern day life does not work for certain individuals with APOE4,” he said.
How To Prevent Alzheimer’s With Easy Lifestyle Habits
The World Alzheimer Report 2019 says nearly 80 percent of people have concerns about experiencing dementia. New research has shown that a few simple lifestyle habits can make a big difference in protecting your memory as you age. The APOE4 gene variant is a well-established genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, says David Perlmutter, MD, Board-certified Neurologist and number one New York Times bestselling author. The study did not track participants’ walking speed or how often they walked, the brain-protective benefits of walking—and physical activity in general—are clear. If you want to get more steps in, Dr. Ryan Sultan, a double board- certified psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia, offers the following tips:. Phone a friend. “Walking is not only exercise, but an opportunity to call a friend, collect your thoughts or catch up on new music or a book,” Dr. Sultan says. Take 10 minutes to break up the work day and allow for more productive work later on.
How to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease
While it’s not possible to completely prevent Alzheimer’s, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of memory troubles. And it may be easier than you think. According to NBC News, researchers shared two studies at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference yesterday that highlight key lifestyle changes that may help prevent or slow the development of Alzheimer’s.
What do you do to help protect your memory?
In one study presented at the conference, more than 2,000 participants were tested for genes that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. One gene that stood out was the APOE4 gene, per NBC News.
“The APOE4 gene variant is a well-established genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease,” explains David Perlmutter, MD, Board-certified Neurologist and number one New York Times bestselling author. “Carriers of one or two copies of this allele have a higher likelihood of developing the condition due, primarily, to its role in increasing brain inflammation, a central mechanism in Alzheimer’s.”
Here are the simple habits that help protect your brain, even if you’re a carrier of the APOE4 gene.
Go for a walk
While walking seemed to benefit all study participants when it came to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, it had the biggest “protective effect” on those with the APOE4 gene, NBC News reported.
The researchers found that those who reportedly walked 10 percent more than their peers had a 4.7 percent increase in complex thinking for women and a 2.6 percent increase for men. For those carrying the APOE4 gene, women who walked more experienced an 8.5 percent increase in cognitive performance over time and men a 12 percent increase.
The difference between women’s and men’s results connects to a brain protein called BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which study researchers told NBC News increases with walking.
“Generally, men have more muscle mass in comparison to women,” says Dr. Perlmutter. “Muscles are an important source for BDNF, a chemical that actually allows the brain to repopulate itself with new neurons. This explains why men, even those with the APOE4 allele, derive more benefit from exercise compared to women. It also supports the recommendation that women should add strength training to their exercise programs.”
Aging Is Dementia Hereditary? It Can Be—Here’s How to Reduce Your Risk We know that lifestyle plays a key role in our health, but the influence of our genetics shouldn’t be dismissed. That’s why it’s so important to understand your family’s health history and whether you may be predisposed to certain conditions. If a parent or grandparent has been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease, for example, you […]
Make time for regular physical activity
Although the study did not track participants’ walking speed or how often they walked, the brain-protective benefits of walking—and physical activity in general—are clear. If you want to get more steps in, Ryan Sultan, MD, a double board-certified psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia, offers the following tips:
Phone a friend. “Walking is not only exercise, but an opportunity to call a friend, collect your thoughts or catch up on new music or a book,” Dr. Sultan
Take 10 minutes to move. “Walking is a way to break up the work day and refresh to allow for more productive work later on,” he says.
Park further away. “It’s helpful to integrate walking into everyday life,” Dr. Sultan says. “It also helps when you have a destination to walk to, like a shopping center or grocery store.”
Start small. “You don’t have to walk excessive distances when starting out,” he assures. “The habit of walking is the most important early on, not necessarily the distance or length of walk.”
Keep sneakers in your car. “Make walking convenient by throwing your sneakers in your bag or car” so you’re always ready to squeeze in a little more movement, says Dr. Sultan.
Challenge your brain
Another study revealed at the conference and led by researchers in Finland, per NBC News, found that “cognitive training,” moving more and eating healthy helped to prevent or delay Alzheimer’s disease, especially in those with the APOE4 gene. Cognitive training can be anything from playing computer-based brain games or using a paper and pencil to challenge your mind. And physical activity included group-based exercise sessions that lasted 90 minutes (pickleball, anyone?), according to NBC News. Dr. Perlmutter explains why these results were seen after participants changed their habits.
“Western medicine tends to focus on monotherapy, meaning single approaches to medical problems,” says Dr. Perlmutter. “Multiple factors conspire to threaten the brain in Alzheimer’s disease, so a multifaceted approach would be expected to bring better benefit. Exercise, because it enhances BDNF, sets the stage for the brain to gain function and this creates an environment in which cognitive training will be more efficacious.”
Initial findings from the study showed that people with the APOE4 gene experienced stronger health benefits after adopting these lifestyle changes.
Aging 6 Easy Habits That May Help Prevent Dementia, Says an Alzheimer’s Expert It’s true that many of the illnesses related to aging have components over which we have no control. But doctors and researchers are increasingly realizing that we may have more power than we thought when it comes to how to prevent conditions like dementia. Here are six dementia prevention strategies that you can incorporate into […]
Try the MIND diet
Beyond Alzheimer’s disease, new research shows that dietary changes may help prevent or delay other forms of dementia as well.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that adults ages 60 to 79 who followed a structured lifestyle program, which included regular exercise, brain games, social engagement, health monitoring and a diet plan known as the MIND diet, saw significantly greater improvements in thinking and memory over two years compared to those who made changes on their own.
The MIND diet is a combination of two study-backed healthy eating plans: the Mediterranean diet and DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) diet. It encourages people to eat foods like vegetables, berries, whole grains, nuts and fish. (Discover more foods that help prevent dementia here.)
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
Dementia: Where You Live May Impact Risk, Study Finds
Dementia is an incurable condition that causes a progressive decline in a person’s cognitive abilities. The Mid-Atlantic region had the lowest dementia incidence at about 11.2 cases per 1,000 person-years. The Southeast (including Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi) had the highest rate, with about 14.0 cases per1,000 people. These differences remained even after adjusting for important factors such as age, sex, race and ethnicity, rural versus urban residence, and cardiovascular health conditions like hypertension and diabetes. The researchers found significant regional differences in dementia rates among older U.S. veterans, which they say highlights the need for targeted healthcare strategies. The findings underscore the importance of region-specific public health interventions to better support those at greater risk.
The findings underscore the importance of region-specific public health interventions to better support those at greater risk.
Experts suggest that socioeconomic factors, healthcare quality, lifestyle, and environmental exposures may contribute to these disparities.
Even after adjusting for factors like age, race, education, rural living, and heart health, the Southeast region showed up to 25% higher dementia rates, with the Northwest and Rocky Mountains regions at 23%.
The findings, published online on June 9 in JAMA Neurology , show that among veterans ages 65 and older, dementia incidence was lowest in the Mid-Atlantic region and highest in the Southeast.
The researchers found significant regional differences in dementia rates among older U.S. veterans, which they say highlights the need for targeted healthcare strategies.
Dementia is an incurable condition that causes a progressive decline in a person’s cognitive abilities, including thinking, memory, and behavior.
A new nationwide study reveals that your risk of dementia might vary depending on where you live.
This large study examined how rates of new dementia cases vary across different regions of the United States among older veterans receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
The researchers followed over 1.2 million dementia-free veterans aged 65 and older for an average of about 12.6 years to see where dementia diagnoses occurred most frequently.
They divided the country into 10 regions based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions and tracked new dementia diagnoses using medical codes recorded during veterans’ visits to VHA facilities.
The study also considered factors such as age, sex, race, education level in their neighborhoods, whether veterans lived in rural or urban areas, and if they had other health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease.
The researchers found that dementia incidence rates differed significantly by region. The Mid-Atlantic region (including states like Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey) had the lowest dementia incidence at about 11.2 cases per 1,000 person-years.
In contrast, the Southeast (including Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi) had the highest rate, with about 14.0 cases per 1,000 person-years — a roughly 25% higher risk compared to the Mid-Atlantic.
In addition to the 23% higher rates in the Northwest and Rocky Mountains, other regions with higher dementia rates included:
South: 18%
South Atlantic: 12%
Midwest: 12%
The remaining regions had a less than 10% difference.
These differences remained even after adjusting for important factors such as age, sex, race and ethnicity, education level (measured by the percentage of college-educated adults in the area), rural versus urban residence, and cardiovascular health conditions like hypertension and diabetes.
This suggests that other region-specific factors might be contributing to the varying dementia risks.
Possible contributors to these regional differences include socioeconomic disparities, lifestyle and environmental factors, access to and quality of healthcare, and diagnostic practices. For example, regions with higher dementia rates tended to have lower educational attainment and higher rates of conditions like stroke and hypertension.
Living in a rural area was associated with some increased risk, but did not fully explain the differences.
The authors also noted that the VHA system provides relatively even access to healthcare, so differences in healthcare availability might be less of a factor than in the general population.