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.
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.