What Breakthroughs in Alzheimer's Study Have Taught Us
In recent years, significant breakthroughs
have been made that are changing everything we thought we understood
about dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. It is no longer just a
"disease that comes with age," and we now know many risk factors that
lead to it, accumulating over decades until symptoms begin to appear.
This fact alone is a tremendous discovery, and as researchers see it, a
pattern repeats itself—what is healthy for the young body is, over time,
also healthy for the aging brain. You probably already know several
ways to reduce the risk of dementia and even maintain some healthy
habits because of them. Now, you can discover 4 new studies that show
how to do this in ways you haven’t heard of, and it’s highly recommended
that you take their recommendations to heart.
1. Make Sure to Get the Right Type of Sleep
We’ve long known that good, quality sleep can reduce the risk of
dementia, not to mention improve mood, strengthen the immune system, and
aid in weight loss. However, a study published in March 2025 showed
that there is a specific type of sleep that can optimally reduce the
risk of Alzheimer’s. The study found that during slow-wave sleep (the
deepest sleep stage) and REM sleep, the brain clears toxins and
strengthens and preserves memory connections.
The study found that a specific brain area
related to Alzheimer’s tends to shrink in people who don’t experience
enough of these two sleep stages during midlife. These stages are
responsible for good, quality sleep, and to benefit from them, you don’t
need to sleep more—just sleep better.
There are many ways to improve sleep quality and thus protect the brain
from Alzheimer’s, such as checking if you suffer from sleep apnea, which
impairs sleep quality and can lead to cognitive decline, or whether
sleep medications you take, like Ambien, reduce sleep quality.
Additionally, you should avoid coffee and alcohol in the evening to
ensure you sleep well at night and reach the sleep stages where the
brain clears toxins.
2. Stay Physically Active – At Any Level
Is intense exercise more beneficial for the body than light exercise?
Findings from a study published in April 2025 show that there is
actually a very small difference between the level of effort you put in
and the benefits you gain, at least when it comes to dementia. The study
compared cognitive decline in people who engaged in moderate to
high-intensity activities like aerobics with those who did light
activities like stretching or balance exercises. All participants
engaged in their activities 3-4 times a week.
All participants had mild memory issues,
particularly difficulty recalling new facts and events. They were at
risk for dementia but showed no signs of cognitive decline beyond memory
problems. In fact, physical activity helped participants in both groups
halt cognitive decline, and the type of activity didn’t play a
significant role.
This study suggests that older adults with mild cognitive issues can
maintain their cognitive function simply by staying active in any way
consistently. It doesn’t have to be strenuous exercise—simple, light
activities can help. The key is consistency, and you can start with
resistance exercises for seniors or balance exercises.
3. Maintain Your Cholesterol Levels
Maintaining low cholesterol levels can reduce the risk of dementia, and a
study published in April 2025 provided the numbers: people with LDL
(bad cholesterol) levels below 70 mg/dL had a 26% reduced risk of
dementia and a 28% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s compared to participants
with LDL levels above 130 mg/dL. This difference is equivalent to the
impact of other beneficial lifestyle changes known until now, and it’s
surprising that researchers have only recently shown how important this
is.
For comparison, physical activity showed a
30% reduction in dementia risk, and maintaining normal blood pressure
had a slightly lower effect. Therefore, keeping LDL levels low is a top
priority due to its significant impact on dementia risk. Another
important finding is that among those with LDL levels below 70 mg/dL,
those taking statins (cholesterol-lowering medications) had an
additional 13% reduction in risk compared to those not taking statins.
Why is this the case? The study showed that cholesterol plays a key role
in nervous system deterioration. Our brain is full of lipids, and since
cholesterol is made of lipids, it affects inflammation and blood flow
in the brain. Since plaque buildup in arteries is partly due to
inflammation, it makes sense that taking statins—which have
anti-inflammatory effects—reduces plaque buildup in the brain, thereby
lowering the risk of dementia.
4. For Some – Protecting the Brain with
Diabetes Medications
If you have diabetes and are over 50, the findings of this study
conducted in April 2025 are for you: taking GLP-1 medications (Victoza,
Saxenda, Exenatide, Lixisenatide, etc.) or SGLT2 inhibitors (Farxiga,
Jardiance) reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia by 33-43%!
Although the number of participants in the study was not large, their
average age was 65, and there is another study currently underway on
this topic, with results expected in October 2026.
Of course, you can’t simply take these
medications on your own, and certainly not if you don’t have diabetes,
but it’s recommended to consult your doctor to see if it would be
worthwhile to switch to these treatments if you’re not already using
them. The effects of GLP-1 medications on cardiovascular diseases are
still being studied, so you may be in a risk group for which the
medication is not suitable. SGLT2 inhibitors, on the other hand, have
been proven effective in treating patients who have had heart events,
making them a second-line treatment for those who have experienced a
heart event.
In Conclusion
The year 2025 brings a lot of good news for anyone concerned about
Alzheimer’s, as new and highly effective ways to reduce the risk have
been discovered. All you need to do is learn about them and follow the
experts’ recommendations. If you do, you can reduce your risk of
dementia by about 30-40%, which is significant! Add this to the many
other methods you already know, and you’ll have a recipe for living a
long, healthy life with a clear and healthy mind.
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