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

The Brain Health Risk We Don’t Talk About Enough | Dr. David Perlmutter

7 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief talk, Dr. David Perlmutter highlights social isolation as the most under‑recognized threat to brain health for older adults. While acknowledging the well‑known importance of exercise, sleep, and a low‑carbohydrate diet for maintaining cognitive function, he argues that lack of socialization is a critical, often ignored factor. He explains that isolation increases stress hormones (cortisol) and reduces the bonding hormone oxytocin, pathways that can accelerate brain aging. Drawing on concepts from his new book Brain Defenders, he urges listeners to actively maintain and expand social connections—whether in person or virtually—to protect the aging brain.

Chapters

If you're getting up there in years, what's the one thing I think that really needs more attention perhaps amongst all the things that we talk about that are important for your brain? We get it, we know that exercise is critically important, as is sleep, as is a low carbohydrate diet to keep blood sugar in check, all of the things. But what's the one thing I think people in our age bracket are really not paying as much attention to and are at risk for? It is, in my opinion, Lack of socialization. I think as we age, there's more and more opportunity and therefore risk to become isolated. Isolation is a bad thing for your brain. There's all kinds of pathways. We talk about them in the new book, Brain Defenders. When we're isolated, we are under more stress. We increase our cortisol production and we reduce our production of oxytocin. Here's the take-home message: do your very best to stay connected to others, to people that you love. Meet new people, even if it's virtually, but do your best to get out and really meet with people and socialize.