Genius Life: 80: Help! I'm at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease | Richard Isaacson, MD

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways Alzheimer’s disease starts in the brain 20 to 30 years before the first symptoms of memory lossOn ApoE:ApoE is a geneThere are four different isoforms (aka alleles) of ApoEThey’re referred to as 1, 2, 3, and 4 (but most of the time you’ll find 2, 3 and 4)Everybody has two copies of the ApoE gene (one from mom and one from dad)Most people have two copies of ApoE3People with an ApoE4 allele have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (you can use 23andMe to see your ApoE phenotype)People with one allele have a 2-3 fold higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, while those two alleles have a 10-15 fold higher risk Alzheimer’s disease risk reduction techniques:Physical activity is SUPER important “Exercise is by far the best thing a person can do to protect against Alzheimer’s disease… Physical exercise is by far the most powerful antidote to ApoE that I know of.” – Richard IsaacsonEat fatty fish (wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, lake trout, and herring) for optimal omega-3 fatty acid consumptionGet adequate sleepMonitor your body fat: “As the belly size gets larger, the memory center in the brain gets smaller” – Richard IsaacsonIf someone with mild cognitive impairment (AKA Stage II Alzheimer’s disease) follows a tailored set of recommendations and risk reduction techniques, it’s possible to delay conversion to dementia (AKA Stage III Alzheimer’s disease)

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Richard Isaacson is a board-certified neurologist and director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian.