DR MICHAEL MOSLEY reveals what he’s doing to ward off dementia

A friend whose mother has Alzheimer’s told me last week that she is going to have a genetic test that looks at the APOE gene. Inheriting one bad variant of this gene doubles your chance of getting the disease.

A quarter of the population has one bad variant. If you have two bad variants (which actor Chris Hemsworth recently discovered he has), the risk jumps nearly 12 times.

A few years ago I took this genetic test and found out that I don’t have bad variants, which was a huge relief.

But I’m not complacent. My father, who died at age 74, was already showing signs of cognitive decline, so I’ve been keeping an eye on dementia research and doing what I can to minimize my risk.

Understandably, there’s been a lot of excitement lately about several new drugs that appear to target amyloid plaques, the buildup of proteins in the brain associated with the disease.

Earlier this month, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly published research results showing that its drug, donanemab, slowed “clinical decline” by 35 percent compared to a placebo.

While these results seem promising, the study also found that of the nearly 600 patients who received the drug, 24 percent developed brain swelling, 31 percent had minor bleeds in the brain, and three died from complications.

Prevention is better than cure. Following on from the Mail’s handy guide last week on steps to prevent this terrible disease, here are a few things I do myself to keep my brain in shape.

DAILY PRESS-UPS

There are special brain benefits from resistance exercises like push-ups and squats, which is why I do at least 30 of them every morning. That sounds like bragging rights, but I built this level up slowly and painfully.

These exercises are great for preserving your spine and muscles, but what’s interesting is their impact on brain cells.

Professor Damian Bailey, director of the Neurovascular Research Laboratory at the University of South Wales, told me that doing squats and push-ups not only stimulates blood flow to areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, which are responsible for learning, but also the release of a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which stimulates the growth of new brain cells. Pushups and squats seem to be especially good at boosting BDNF, much more so than walking or jogging.

STATIN OR HRT BOOST

I have a family history of heart disease, so I take statins to reduce my risk of heart attack and stroke. But they can also help my brain.

A recent review, in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, concluded that people who took statins were 20 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who didn’t.

However, the researchers point out that the evidence is not strong enough to recommend that people take statins to reduce the risk of dementia.

While I take statins, my wife Clare takes hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Like statins, there is some evidence that HRT reduces a woman’s risk of developing dementia, probably because estrogen and progesterone help support brain cells.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia reported in January that brain scans of 1,178 women taking part in the European Alzheimer’s Dementia Prevention Initiative showed that those who took HRT had better memory and larger brains than those who didn’t.

And the biggest differences were seen in women who were at greater risk of dementia (because they were most vulnerable to changes in the brain), and in women who used HRT early, ie during perimenopause, when a woman’s hormone levels start to fall. change.

This was an observational study, so they are planning a trial to measure the brain impact of HRT.

COLD SHOWER SHOT

As many of you know by now, Clare and I have cold showers most mornings and if we get the chance we also swim in the sea, currently a chilly 11c.

Not only does it feel good afterwards, but regular soaking in cold water can also increase levels of “cold shock proteins” — molecules that help protect the brain from damage.

THE BIG BREAKFAST

I like to start my day with (protein-rich) eggs or kippers, because they taste good and make me feel full longer.

While UK government guidelines suggest we only need 45-55g of protein a day, plenty of research suggests you need more, especially as you age, to keep your bones and muscles in good shape.

Eating more protein may also help protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

In a 2018 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers in Australia, when they measured amyloid levels in the brains of people over the age of 60, found that those who ate the recommended amount of protein of 54 g per day had 12 times more were more likely to have high levels of amyloid than those who ate about 118 g.

The researchers are now investigating why eating more protein appears to be protective.

MY DATE WITH THE SCALES

Carrying too much fat, especially around the gut, leads to high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels, putting you at risk for type 2 diabetes — which triples your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Be brave. Step on the scale or grab the tape measure. I do this a few times a week.

OPEN THE WINDOWS

Long-term exposure to air pollution increases your risk of dementia – the danger is tiny particles of air pollution called PM 2.5: When you inhale them, they penetrate deep into your lungs and are then carried to your brain, where they do damage.

These days I ride my bike whenever I can and avoid busy streets whenever possible, because as I found out while making a recent documentary, driving a car in heavy traffic is where you’re most exposed to fumes.

I also try to reduce my exposure to indoor air pollution: I always turn on the range hood when frying, try to keep the windows open, and avoid air fresheners. We have also decided not to purchase an indoor wood burning stove as it can almost triple the PM 2.5.

That’s a pity, but I’d rather be cold than dementia.

When I was younger my mother worried that because I loved solitude it meant I was lonely. But the main difference between loneliness and loneliness is choice – and this makes all the difference when it comes to mental health.

A few years ago, a University of California study found that teens who withdrew from others because they felt insecure were at greater risk for anxiety and depression, but those who withdrew for positive reasons, perhaps to recharge, had no such problems. Sometimes alone time is good time.

Harder for women to slim down

Women often tell me they find it harder to lose and keep it off than their partners – and a new study from University College London suggests they may be right.

The study compared brain scans of men and women aged 18-55 with the results of questionnaires they completed, which described things like gut symptoms. The results showed that overweight women had changes in brain connectivity that made them appear more susceptible to the sight, smell and taste of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), putting them at increased risk of developing cravings and food addiction.

That, in turn, suggests that women who are trying to lose weight, or keep it off, probably need more support to stay away from UPFs.

Why I’m happy to be part Neanderthal

A few weeks ago I sent a sample of my saliva to a DNA ancestry website to see what they could tell me about my roots.

The results showed that I am mostly European, with about 4 percent Asian and African DNA. But I was surprised to learn that nearly 2 percent of my DNA comes from Neanderthals, who went extinct 40,000 years ago. I’m more Neanderthal than most of the people they tested.

This lineage may explain one of my more obvious features, a prominent nose. A recent study published in the journal Communications Biology revealed that a gene that leads to a longer nose, the type I have, originally came from Neanderthals.

More importantly, Neanderthal genes may have given me a more powerful immune system than average, which could explain why when I got infected with Covid I had very mild symptoms.

In 2021, research by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that people who inherited a certain set of Neanderthal genes had immune systems better able to destroy viruses than people without those genes, and were therefore much less likely to contract the disease. intensive care if they get covid.

Despite being better adapted to fight viral infections, the Neanderthals still went extinct. But thanks to crossing with our ancestors, they passed on some useful genes, which I was happy to pass on to my children.