New Hope on Brain Health

A growing body of research shows that diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors play a critical role in preserving cognitive function as we age.

That includes a new study from Seattle’s Allen Institute for Brain Science, which recently reported that the brain cells in mice that were most impacted by aging are in the part of the brain that controls appetite, energy and metabolism.

“It is striking to see that early changes in a healthy brain (are) exactly in the center that controls metabolism,” says study author Hongkui Zeng, who is director of the institute. Her findings were published in the scientific journal Nature in January.

The study highlights the importance of regulating your metabolism when it comes to protecting brain health. AARP and the credit union BECU will host a webinar on Thursday, June 5, to share tips on understanding the latest research and ways to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

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The webinar will feature several dementia specialists, including Ed Lein, a senior investigator at the Allen Institute, and Justin Miller, a professor of neurology at the University of Washington’s Memory and Brain Wellness Center.

Growing cases, concerns

The efforts by researchers and advocates to highlight prevention come as the number of people with dementia is expected to skyrocket. In Washington state, about 125,000 people age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, according to the state’s Dementia Action Collaborative. The group projects that by 2040, the number of people 65 and older with dementia in the state will more than double.

A 2022 AARP survey found that 94 percent of Washington state residents age 45-plus consider staying mentally sharp extremely important or very important, making it their top health issue.

“There is a lot we can do,” says Angela Hanson, a geriatrician and researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “It’s really important for people to know there is hope.”

For Cathy MacCaul, AARP Washington’s advocacy director, dementia is not just a professional issue. It’s personal too. Her grandmother died from the disease, and now she cares for her 87-year-old mother, who also has Alzheimer’s.

But MacCaul, 60, doesn’t believe her own diagnosis is inevitable. She credits her mother’s healthy lifestyle—eating well, exercising regularly and staying socially and mentally engaged—with delaying the onset of the disease. And MacCaul is also embracing a healthy lifestyle to protect herself.

“I have a lot of hope,” says MacCaul. “There are ways to stack the odds in your favor.”

Metabolic function a focus

Zeng says her study underscores the benefits of healthy eating, regular physical activity and managing conditions that can worsen metabolic function, such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Those three conditions increase inflammation in the brain, she says, and “exacerbate the development of neurodegenerative disease.”

In 2024, a renowned group of doctors, epidemiologists and public health researchers identified 14 “modifiable risk factors” for dementia—actions that individuals and communities can take to protect brain health.

The list, published by the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care, includes some factors that are harder to control, such as exposure to air pollution and access to education.

But Hanson, the University of Washington researcher, notes that it also includes many lifestyle changes that are within reach, such as taking a statin to bring down high cholesterol levels, staying socially connected to others and exercising regularly.

“It doesn’t have to be a marathon,” she says of the exercise component. “If you want to kill two birds with one stone, grab a couple of friends and go on a walk.”

Even simple steps—like addressing hearing loss with hearing aids and correcting vision with glasses—can make a difference in fighting cognitive decline. In fact, the 2024 Lancet Commission report concluded that 40 percent of global dementia cases are potentially preventable with lifestyle changes.

To register for the June 5 webinar, visit aarp.org/brainhealthwa.

Michelle Crouch is a North Carolina-based journalist who covers health care and consumer issues. She has written for the Bulletin for 10 years.

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