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Anthea Rowan

This is the 90th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope
Not long ago, Dr Kevin Tran, founder of The Phoenix Community for carriers of the APOE4 gene – the “Alzheimer’s gene” – like himself, noted that we need to look after our brain as if it were the only car we would ever own. We must tend to its bodywork, provide regular maintenance and keep up with services so that it runs for as long as we need it to.
His analogy is even more apt alongside the emergence of “MileAge”, a metabolomic ageing clock that estimates biological age from a blood sample, developed by Dr Julian Mutz and his team at King’s College London in the UK.
Mutz named the clock MileAge because he liked the car comparison. A vehicle’s chronological age matters, but its wear and tear, indicated by mileage, is often equally important.
Think of it like this, Tran says: two cars leave the factory the same year, but one is a wreck by 100,000 miles while the other still runs beautifully. The difference was never the model year. It was the mileage and how it was driven. Your body is the same. Your birthday is the model year. Your metabolic markers are the real mileage, and a clock like MileAge puts that number on the dashboard.

The hopeful part? Unlike a car, you can wind your biological mileage back by changing a few habits.
What your molecules say about you
Metabolomics is the study of the tiny molecules – metabolites – your body makes and uses as it turns food into energy and repairs tissue. Measured in blood, urine or other fluids, they offer a “snapshot” of how your metabolism is working.
These markers describe the state of our health and are affected by metabolic disorders such as diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, fatty liver and chronic kidney disease. They are also shaped by diet and lifestyle choices – including ultra-processed foods, alcohol consumption, smoking and sleep quality – as well as body fat and muscle distribution, gender, hormones, and the ageing process itself.
Because metabolomic ageing clocks can predict cardiovascular disease risk, it is perhaps unsurprising that they can also flag dementia.
Mutz recently showed that a higher MileAge in mid-life predicts a greater risk of vascular and unspecified dementia, suggesting a strong link to Alzheimer’s disease – especially in people carrying the APOE4 gene. People with a higher MileAge tended to be frailer, reported feeling less healthy, had shorter telomeres – a key cellular ageing marker – and died younger. In other words, they showed greater wear and tear in the body.

Alzheimer’s as a metabolic crisis
Increasingly, the long-standing “amyloid hypothesis” of Alzheimer’s disease is being revised. Amyloid plaques are no longer viewed as the sole cause of dementia, but rather as one piece of a complex puzzle.
Insulin resistance and its companions – type 2 diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome, which is the cluster of high blood sugar, high blood pressure, abdominal fat and poor cholesterol driven by Western diets and sedentary living – are among the fastest rising health crises worldwide.
To understand how a metabolic risk like type 2 diabetes affects the brain, consider the insights of Dr Georgia Ede, a psychiatrist, author of Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind, and a leading figure in nutritional psychiatry. She says that the brain requires a steady supply of glucose, but like Goldilocks, it must be just the right amount – not too little, not too much.
“The blood-brain barrier only allows about 20 per cent of the glucose in the bloodstream to enter the brain, so the concentration of glucose inside the brain is typically about 80 per cent lower than in the bloodstream,” Ede says.
Yet, the brain is incredibly energy-hungry. It accounts for just 2 per cent of body weight but consumes 20 per cent of the body’s energy supply, burning 10 times more energy than expected for its size. While glucose is its primary fuel, ketones can satisfy up to two-thirds of the brain’s energy requirements.

‘Cerebral caramelisation’ poses danger
The problem arises with a typical Western diet loaded with refined carbohydrates and sugar. When blood glucose runs too high too often, insulin spikes in tandem, paving the way for insulin resistance.
The result is a dangerous paradox: a brain swimming in glucose but lacking the functioning insulin required to process it. The brain essentially loses its capacity to turn glucose into energy.
It is like a car at a petrol station waiting for a fill-up when the cap will not come off the tank.
None of this is good news for the brain because, as Ede says, “it needs energy to be available, clean and to be delivered smoothly. If you don’t get enough energy into the brain when it needs it, things can malfunction” – including the brain’s healing mechanisms, electrical systems and maintenance circuits.
Worse still, the excess, unusable glucose begins to accumulate, sticking to brain components to form advanced glycation end-products – or AGEs. Consider this process as a dangerous “cerebral caramelisation”. AGEs stiffen tissues and blood vessels, damaging both heart and brain health, and trigger chronic inflammatory pathways. No system in the body likes inflammation, including the brain.
Check regularly under the bonnet
To look after your “car-for-life”, you have to monitor what is happening under the bonnet. This means keeping a close eye on key metabolic markers: weight, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood glucose.
Ede recommends wearing a simple continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for a couple of weeks to get a clear picture. Much like a step tracker, it provides immediate, actionable insight into how your diet is affecting your blood sugar – and ultimately, your brain’s mileage.
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Wellness

Like a car, your brain’s mileage matters. Unlike a car, you can wind it back

a steering wheel with an ai brain for autonomous driving. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Much like a car, the chronological age of our brain matters, but just as important is its biological age - the amount of wear and tear it exhibits. A higher biological age is associated with being frailer, feeling less healthy and dying younger. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Kevin Tran is the founder of The Phoenix Community. Photo: LinkedIn/drkevintran

Dr Julian Mutz and his team at King’s College London have developed a metabolomic ageing clock that estimates biological age from a blood sample. Photo: Dr Julian Mutz

Tran says that we need to look after our brain as if it were the only car we would ever own. Photo: Shutterstock

Being optimistic can lower dementia risk by 15%, Harvard study finds

A Harvard University study found that people with higher optimism scores were less likely to develop dementia. One way to become more optimistic is to surround yourself with like-minded people. Photo: Shutterstock

Elderly people take part in a ballet lesson at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Being optimistic is usually attended by a “can-do” attitude, which is valuable as we get older. Photo: Eugene Chan

Irrespective of how old we are, to be optimistic, we need to feel positive about the future. Photo: Sam Tsang

Optimists are more likely to exercise, eat well, avoid smoking, sleep better and maintain strong social networks. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting involved in activities and developing new friends can make a person feel less alone and more inclined to be optimistic. Photo: Shutterstock

Testing for dementia by asking patients to draw a clock, walk and talk, stand on one leg

The clock-drawing test requires a person to be able to interpret the placement of the hands in relation to the numbers. It is an ability often lost in people with early dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

There are many different ways to score the clock-drawing test. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Baibing Chen says the clock-drawing test is especially useful in judging brain health. Photo: Dr Baibing Chen

If a person has trouble with the balance test, standing on one leg for up to 30 seconds, it can indicate problems with motor coordination or even early signs of neurodegenerative conditions. Photo: Shutterstock

A diminished sense of smell is often one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, sometimes predating cognitive symptoms by years. It can also be a symptom of Covid-19. Photo: Shutterstock

Tests must be conducted within the context of the patient’s overall health, history, and current symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock

Different parts of the brain are responsible for different cognitive skills. Illustration: Shutterstock

Just as not all memory lapses mean someone has dementia, “failing” these tests does not necessarily mean they suffer from it. Photo: Shutterstock

Brain scan predicts dementia risk by reading brain’s ‘hidden ageing clock’

Scientists examine brain scan images in a laboratory. A new MRI tool called DunedinPACNI has been unveiled that can predict dementia risk and ageing through brain scans. Photo: Shutterstock

The DunedinPACNI uses an MRI-based tool like this MRI machine to read the brain’s “hidden ageing clock”. Photo: Shutterstock

Tests like DunedinPACNI could revolutionise the approach to dementia diagnosis. Photo: Shutterstock

If a person’s DunedinPACNI results suggest they are at risk for later poor health, they could make lifestyle changes that could prevent or delay its onset, such as taking up yoga. Photo: Shutterstock

DunedinPACNI can be used to “help motivate people to adopt healthier habits and lifestyle choices that reduce their risk for later diseases”, like exercising more. Photo: Shutterstock 

The difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ stress and how to beat the harmful kind

Stress can be either “good” or “bad” depending on the trigger, say clinical psychologists, who explain how to beat the bad kind and avoid the associated health risks through everything from knitting and gardening to using gadgets. Illustration: Shutterstock

Stress is almost always cast in a negative light, but there is a good type of stress, eustress, that sharpens our focus. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong-based clinical psychologist Dr Julia Andre explains that the initial psychological response for good and bad stress is similar; the difference comes in what happens next. Photo: Dr Julia Andre 

Hong Kong-based clinical psychologist Dr Sharmeen Shroff says when you know what causes your stress, you are in a better position to manage it. Photo: Dr Sharmeen Shroff

Hong Kong-based clinical psychologist Dr Kaili Chen says that when we are staring at screens, our nervous system is in a state of “passive consumption”. Photo: Dr Kaili Chen

Andre says that hobbies such as gardening help alleviate stress because they mimic “natural, self-soothing behaviours”. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Decoding dementia

How caring for a parent with dementia taught me about symptoms, prevention and why seeking out the latest research is so important

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother.

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Anthea with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Studies suggest that regular exercise lowers the risk of cognitive decline by 35 per cent. Photo: Getty Images

Staying active can help prevent or delay the onset of dementia, studies suggest. Photo: Shutterstock

Why should you have a brain scan to test for dementia when there’s no cure? Knowing can help you delay its onset, neurologist says

It can be daunting to get a brain scan to test for signs of dementia, but a neurologist behind new research reveals the advantages of knowing early. Photo: Shutterstock

New research has found that dementia can be detected as early as nine years before symptoms manifest, and this could have significant implications for treatment. Photo: Shutterstock

Timothy Rittman, the neurologist who led the dementia research at Cambridge University. Photo: Cambridge University

A brain scan showing signs of dementia. Photo: Getty Images

Lizzie Perry, founder of This is Dementia, with her father, who was diagnosed with the disease at 58. Photo: This is Dementia

The approval in the US of a new drug that slows the onset of Alzheimer’s makes Rittman hopeful about the future of dementia treatment. Photo: Cambridge University

Why women are more likely to have dementia than men as they age, and how exercise and engagement can help lower your risk

Women may be at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than men for a number of reasons: biological, societal or cultural. Experts suggest exercise and social engagement can help offset the risk. Photo: Getty Images

The spread of tau – the protein that clumps into the telltale tangles of dementia – may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Shutterstock

Female twins with a male co-twin were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than female twins with a female co-twin. Photo: Shutterstock

Prenatal care and monitoring pregnant women’s health is key, as it may impact cognition and dementia risk in later life. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking regular exercise is key for women – and men – to reduce the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

How high or low blood pressure increases the risk of dementia, and why it’s never too late, or early, to adopt a healthy lifestyle to manage it

Having blood pressure that is too high or too low has been linked to a higher risk of dementia, but it’s never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle that will help maintain optimal blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock


An optimal blood pressure reading, easily measured with a home device, is around 120/80. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Ruth Peters was lead author of a study looking at the links between blood pressure and dementia. Photo: Dr Ruth Peters

It’s never too late, or too early, to start thinking about brain health and living a healthy lifestyle. Photo: Shutterstock

Problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes may result from damage caused by impaired blood flow to the brain – which may be brought on by high blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock

6 dementia fighting tips from Dr Sanjay Gupta and Marc Milstein, experts on brain health – walk, talk, read, learn, relax, and eat and drink properly

We can protect ourselves against the risk of dementia with some simple lifestyle practices. Exercising (above), eating a good diet, drinking less alcohol, socialising, reading more and trying new things all help keep the brain sharp, say brain experts including Dr Sanjay Gupta. Photo: Shutterstock 

The cover of one of Dr Sanjay Gupta’s book. Photo: Simon & Schuster

The cover of Marc Milstein’s book. Photo: Marc Milstein

Drink alcohol mindfully and ask yourself why you are having that drink. Photo: Shutterstock

Learning new things creates new brain cell connections and helps keep your mind sharp. Photo: Shutterstock

Reading is good for brain health. Try to read a wide range of book styles, and join a book club to discuss with others what you are reading. Photo: Shutterstock

During sleep, our brains are restored and repaired, so relaxing is important if we’re going to get those seven hours of quality sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Relationships keep us engaged, interested and interesting, and may help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Like a light switch’: how sundowning syndrome affects dementia sufferers – and their carers; what it is and tips for how to cope

A person with dementia may experience “sundowning” syndrome - towards the end of the day they become more agitated, confused, panicked, resistant to instruction and restless. This affects their carers, too. Photo: Shutterstock

A person in bed, unable to sleep. Conservative estimates suggest about 20 per cent of dementia patients experience sundowning at some point.

Trey Todd is a neuroscientist at the University of Wyoming. Photo: Trey Todd

Sundowning was coined in 1987 by Lois Evans of Penn Nursing at Pennsylvania University. Photo: University of Pennsylvania

The pineal gland in our brain produces melatonin, which is what helps prompt us to sleep and awaken. In a broken system it is disrupted. Melatonin supplements might help fight sundowning. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a patient with sundowning syndrome for a walk at a consistent time each day, morning or evening, may alleviate symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting out into the daylight early in the day is good for our sleep patterns, whether we have dementia or not. Photo: Shutterstock

Healthy marriage, healthy mind? Dementia risk lower for people married a long time, studies show; expert suggests why

Research suggests that people who have stayed married for a long time have a lower risk for dementia because they feel less lonely, are more likely to eat well and exercise more, and are more cognitively engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Vegard Skirbekk is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Photo: Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Anthea Rowan’s parents on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

A long-time married partner represents a security that provides a buffer against stressors. Photo: Shutterstock

Anthea Rowan and her husband on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

If you live with a partner long term, you are more likely to develop healthy daily patterns, to eat well and exercise more. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Dementia village’ that’s the first of its kind helps residents live normal lives, has a restaurant, theatre and supermarket – and no one wears a white coat

Residents are free to live their lives as they like at the world’s first “dementia village”, The Hogeweyk in The Netherlands. Photo: The Hogeweyk

The Hogeweyk, a “dementia villlage” in the Netherlands, provides care and a familiar and safe environment in which people with dementia live while retaining their own identity and autonomy as much as possible. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Jannette Spiering is the senior managing adviser and co-founder at The Hogeweyk in the Netherlands, which offers “humanising care for people with dementia”. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents relax around the fountain in the theatre square at The Hogeweyk. Photo: The Hogeweyk 

Residents of The Hogeweyk respond positively to their increased autonomy. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents at the healthcare facility take part in a painting class. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Hearing loss dramatically raises the risk of dementia, so why are so many people in midlife doing nothing to prevent it? A test is easy to arrange

Hearing loss has been linked to a higher risk of dementia and cognitive decline,  say experts, who recommend testing for preventable hearing problems (above).  Photo: Getty Images

Alison Huang, a senior research associate at the Cochlear Centre at Johns Hopkins, in the US, says hearing loss makes the brain work harder to process sounds. Photo: Johns Hopkins

Jiang Fan from the School of Public Health at China’s Shandong University. Photo: Shandong University

Checking your hearing in midlife is crucial, and can help you stave off cognitive deterioration. Photo: Shutterstock

Can HRT reduce dementia risk? New hormone replacement therapy studies say yes, upending 2002 reports

HRT use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in all neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT (hormone replacement therapy) use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in dementia and other neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

If HRT is started after the age of 65, brain cells will have already been deprived of oestrogen for many years. This could mean there is a decline in neuronal connections – the brain’s messaging system. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT was found to be most effective when introduced early in menopause, says Anne Marie Minihane, director of the UK’s Norwich Institute of Healthy Ageing at the University of East Anglia. Photo: University of East Anglia

Dr Andrea Kwakowsky from at the University of Galway in Ireland believes the “critical period” for starting HRT is within five years of menopause. Photo: University of Galway

How can you prevent dementia? Free brain health online tool teaches the risks and gives essential tips on avoiding it

The new free “Think Brain Health Check-in” online tool from Alzheimer’s Research UK doesn’t test your memory but checks how well you’re looking after your brain and gives tips to help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Susan Mitchell is head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK. Photo: Dr Susan Mitchell

The Think Brain Health Check-in asks how often you challenge your brain - and then highlights why challenging your brain is key to staving off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting a good night’s sleep every night is one way to lower the risk of developing dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Up to 40 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented if people were mindful of the risk factors for the illness and made lifestyle changes to prevent them. Photo: Shutterstock

Can lack of sleep raise dementia risk? Yes, studies say – but with one exception

Having only five hours of sleep a night can increase dementia risk by 30 per cent for adults over 50, one study says. Photo: Shutterstock

One tip to overcome insomnia is to avoid clock-watching. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a warm shower or bath in the hour or so before bed may help you fall asleep – and stay asleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Roger Wong of the department of public health and preventive medicine at the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University. Photo: Roger Wong

Sleep aids can heighten dementia risk, Wong says. Photo: Shutterstock

Can’t sleep? Try getting up and engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, like reading or making jam. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia and ACB scores: how common prescription and over-the-counter drugs raise the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline

Certain common drugs, including antihistamines, antacids, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines, can disrupt the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, dubbed the “memory molecule” increasing the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

The writer, Anthea Rowan, with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Taking medications that block the action of acetylcholine can lead to memory loss, problems with spatial awareness, and cognitive decline. Photo: Shutterstock

Studies have found that anticholinergic drugs carried “significant’ dementia risk” for the over-65s. Photo: Shutterstock

Doctors need to be mindful of the risks posed by anticholinergic drugs, especially to an already at-risk population: the over 65s. Photo: Shutterstock

How to safeguard your ageing brain: build ‘cognitive reserve’ with mental and physical exercise, and stay active and socially engaged

The phrase ‘use it or lose it’ is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biological fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or bones. Photo:
Shutterstock

Our brains, like our muscles need regular use to stay healthy and flexible, say experts, and keeping our brains active builds our ‘cognitive reserve’, helping us to stave off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Geriatric psychiatrist Dr David Merrill recommends the active pursuit of activities that keep the brain sharp to stave off dementia. Photo: Dr David Merrill

Dorina Cadar says cultural and social engagement, reading, doing crossword puzzles, visiting art galleries, clubs and cinemas, and volunteering all increase our cognitive reserve. Photo: Dorina Cadar

Visiting an art gallery or doing something new and different are good ways to build up cognitive reserve. Photo: Shutterstock 

How yoga benefits dementia patients: new study uncovers brain-health boosts, supporting earlier research

Yoga has health benefits including better brain neuroplasticity, improved sleep quality, and more robust cardiorespiratory fitness, all of which help people experiencing cognitive decline or dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Diana Karamacoska is a research support programme fellow in healthy ageing and dementia at the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University. Photo: Courtesy of Diana Karamacoska

Yoga could be helpful in managing brain inflammation, particularly with its mindfulness component. Photo: Shutterstock

Wendy Du is the founder of Shan Studios in Hong Kong. Photo: Wendy Du/Shan Studios

Du has maintained a daily yoga practice for 10 years. Photo: Courtesy of Shan Studios

5 nutrients good for brain health that can delay dementia, or prevent it, and foods to eat with a high concentration of them

Research has identified some key nutrients we need in our diets to maintain good cognitive function and delay or prevent the onset of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Eating healthy isn’t just good for our bodies, it’s good for our brains, too. Photo: Shutterstock

Zahinoor Ismail, of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary. Photo: University of Calgary

Kale with pine nuts is a dish high in magnesium, and so good for brain function. Photo: Shutterstock

Oatmeal, and other wholegrain foods such as brown rice and quinoa, are rich in magnesium. Photo: Shutterstock

Mackerel is a fish that is especially high in magnesium. Photo: Shutterstock

Why you have to keep smiling at a dementia patient – you’ll feel better and it could evoke a positive response

A smile can bring a smile in return from a dementia patient, and may make them more amenable to your requests. Photo: Shutterstock

Author Anthea Rowan with her mother, who suffered from dementia. As a carer you’ve got to keep smiling, an expert on the condition tells her - and it’s not for the reason you might think. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Timothy Kwok, professor of geriatric medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Director of the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing. Photo: Timothy Kwok

Dementia sufferers cannot be reasoned with, and their emotions can run the gamut from highly positive to negative in the course of a day. Photo: Shutterstock

Many dementia sufferers end up in residential care homes because caring for them is difficult and time-consuming – especially for family members with jobs. Photo: Shutterstock

The living room at Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing, in Hong Kong. Photo: Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing

‘An attack by aliens’: how to deal with a dementia patient’s delusions – experts’ tips for carers

Carers often find it challenging to calm a dementia patient down when they suffer from paranoia, hallucinations and delusions. Experts offer advice on what to do. Photo: Shutterstock

It can be heartbreaking for a carer, especially if they are a family member, when a dementia patient cannot recognise them. Photo: Shutterstock

Disinhibition, poor control or restraint over emotions or actions, is common in patients with advanced dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Fiona Kumfor is a neuropsychologist at the University of Sydney in Australia. Photo: Fiona Kumfor

When a dementia patient cannot remember where they put something, they might jump to the conclusion that it has been stolen. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia begins in the memory centres, the hippocampus and the medial temporal lobe, then moves to other parts of the brain like the temporal lobes and then into the frontal lobe and the parietal lobes. Photo: Shutterstock

Sometimes dementia patients lose the ability to recognise loved ones’ faces, and so they may say they have never met them before. Photo: Shutterstock

Timothy Kwok is a professor of geriatric medicine at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Timothy Kwok

Unravelling 2 Alzheimer’s markers: what are amyloid plaques and tau tangles, how do they form and what do they do to the brain?

“Sepia galactic storms”: the rust coloured clumps are the stained amyloid plaques, the little black squiggles are the tau tangles. Photo: Andrew Lee

Amyloid plaques and tau tangles found in Alzheimer’s sufferers’ brains are caused by build-ups of proteins that block electrical messages. 
Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Andrew Lees, author of “The Silent Plague”, is a professor of neurology at the National Hospital in London and University College London. Photo: Dr Andrew Lees

Lee’s image of “sepia galactic storms”: the rust-coloured clumps are stained amyloid plaques, the little black squiggles are tau tangles. Photo: Andrew Lee

Two neurons: a healthy one and one with Alzheimer’s disease – with tangles and disintegration of the microtubules. Photo: Shutterstock

Daniele Vigolo and his team were able to monitor the change from liquid to solid in “fused in sarcoma” proteins, and study their internal structure. Photo: Daniele Vigolo

5 Alzheimer’s experts’ lifestyle advice on avoiding and delaying the onset of the most common form of dementia

Lifestyle tips for avoiding or delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, include staying active and socially engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Keep your brain active throughout your lifetime – particularly by learning new skills as you age. Photo: Shutterstock 

Regular physical activity – even having a daily walk – can help delay the onset of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Andrew Lees is professor of neurology at the National Hospital in London, and University College London. Photo: Dr Andrew Lees

Professor Timothy Kwok is professor of geriatric medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

Professor Craig Ritchie is professor of the psychiatry of ageing at the University of Edinburgh. Photo: Professor Craig Ritchie

Dr David Merrill is an adult and geriatric psychiatrist and director of the Brain Health Centre at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in California. Photo: courtesy of David Merrill

David Robinson is a consultant geriatrician at St James’s Hospital in Dublin. Photo: David Robinson

At risk for Alzheimer’s disease? 2 new blood tests could detect it early – here’s how they do it

New blood tests developed in Hong Kong and the US deliver an easier, less invasive and more cost-effective way to detect Alzheimer’s disease early. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Amy Fu is on the Cognitact team at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Photo: Professor Amy Fu

Like a car, your brain’s mileage matters. Unlike a car, you can wind it back

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}New ageing clock MileAge estimates biological age from blood. While a higher MileAge predicts a greater risk of dementia, you can reverse it

New ageing clock MileAge estimates biological age from blood. While a higher MileAge predicts a greater risk of dementia, you can reverse it