Alzheimer’s Insights - Surprising Lessons from the Blue Zones and Time Travel

Surveys around the world consistently find Alzheimer's in the top one or two positions of most feared diseases. Typically, half of adults surveyed worry about developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Despite the massive public interest and enormous progress identifying molecular pathways linked to this neurodegenerative disease, pharmaceutical interventions over the past couple decades have failed spectacularly in slowing or halting the cognitive decline.  

 

Outside of a chemical cure for Alzheimer’s, the internet and social media are full of advice on colourful superfoods and sudoku puzzles as strategies to combat cognitive impairment. But could both camps be missing some key, largely unacknowledged, insights on modifiable factors, as they are being drowned out with all the noise?  

 

Many are aware of the role genes, cardiovascular health, smoking, etc play in determining one’s risk to Alzheiemer’s. Whilst these are important, they can be less impactful than a couple of unsuspecting factors working quietly in the background. Recognising and understanding these elements may change the way we view how the brain works and point towards often simple and non-invasive therapies. 

 

To do a deep dive into Alzheimer’s and dementia again we will go on the road less travelled and look at Mr Potato Head, time travel, pension fraud, x-ray vision, putting a red line through the blues zones and a historic lecture being usurped by a case of excessive masturbation.