23/06/2025
Copied & pasted from Linkdin
Everything you "know" about preventing dementia is probably wrong.
And that's costing lives.
We tell people: Do crossword puzzles! Learn languages! Brain games!
Meanwhile, over 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million
Our prevention advice isn't working. Here's why:
1/ Crosswords don't save neurons
↳ They improve crossword skills
↳ Brain adapts to specific tasks
↳ No transfer to daily function
↳ Gives false security
2/ The real brain protectors we ignore
↳ Treating hearing loss (reduces dementia risk by 18%)
↳ Managing blood pressure in midlife
↳ Addressing sleep apnea aggressively
↳ Social connection (not Facebook)
3/ Exercise beats every brain game
↳ Increases BDNF (brain fertilizer)
↳ Improves vascular health
↳ Reduces inflammation
↳ Actually grows hippocampus
4/ The prevention paradox
↳ What works is boring
↳ What's sexy doesn't work
↳ Apps make money, not miracles
↳ Simple interventions get ignored
Last month, a patient proudly showed me his 500-day brain training streak. His sleep apnea? Untreated for a decade. His hearing aids? In a drawer.
We're playing games while our brains suffocate at night.
The unsexy truth about prevention:
Get your hearing checked and USE the aids
Treat sleep apnea like your life depends on it
Move your body every single day
Maintain in-person relationships, not only online ones
Control your blood pressure starting NOW
Your brain doesn't need more puzzles.
It needs oxygen, blood flow, and human connection.
The next time someone sells you brain games, ask them about their sleep study results.
⁉️ What unsexy health issue are you avoiding that might matter more than brain training?
♻️ Repost to save someone from wasting time on digital snake oil
👉 Follow me (Reza Hosseini Ghomi, MD, MSE) for prevention advice that actually works