David PerlmutterPresident,, Perlmutter Health Center · Board-Certified Neurologist | Functional Medicine Pioneer | #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author | International Speaker | Host of The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

3 Steps to Help Prevent Dementia

27 Jun 2017 · 2 min

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1:56

In this video, Dr. David Perlmutter outlines three primary actions to lower the chance of developing dementia, especially for those who might live to age 85 when the baseline risk is about 50%. First, he emphasizes regular aerobic exercise, which activates genes that produce brain growth factors, supporting the creation of new neurons in memory centers. Second, he stresses the importance of good sleep hygiene and screening for sleep apnea, noting that poor sleep directly raises dementia risk. Third, he highlights controlling blood sugar, citing a 2013 New England Journal of Medicine study that found even modest glucose elevations (around 105‑110 mg/dL) in non‑diabetic adults were linked to a higher incidence of dementia over a 3.7‑year follow‑up. He connects this to diet, recommending reduced carbohydrate and sugar intake and a shift toward healthy fats to maintain stable blood sugar levels.

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What can you do to reduce your odds of becoming demented? That's a heck of a question, isn't it? Recognize that if you live to be age 85 years, your risk of developing dementia is the flip of a coin, 50/50. Step number 1, you've got to exercise and you've got to do aerobic exercise. Why? That turns on the genes that code for a brain growth factor. Growth hormone, if you will, that allow you to grow new brain cells in your brain's memory center. Step number 2, you've got to sleep well. Lack of sleep, lack of good sleep, having poor sleep hygiene is directly associated with increased risk for becoming demented. You might even need to have a sleep study because you might have sleep apnea and not even know it. Sleep apnea is related to increased risk of becoming demented. And number 3, you've got to control your blood sugar. A recent study appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine, September of 2013, looked at a group of adults who did not have diabetes, measured their blood sugar, and then followed these individuals for approximately 3.7 years. What did they find? They found that there was a direct correlation between even subtle elevations of their blood sugar and significant increased risk of developing dementia during that period of time. And keep in mind that the elevation of blood sugar In these individuals who were not diabetic, were very mild elevations, like to 105 and 110. It becomes very relevant then as it relates to the food choices that we make. Eating higher levels of carbs and sugar is a surefire way to elevate your blood sugar. That's why a diet that favors higher levels of good and healthful fat while cutting the carbs goes a long way towards a dementia prevention program.