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Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

smithsonianmag.com

11–20 of 92 posts

Re: Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

#12

How many times do we need to hear "exercise and healthy eating" prolong life and improve cognitive function?

It's the signal that they have no idea what they're talking about. Always remember everything doctors said people should do to cure their stomach ulcers: the "why not?" list.

"Your medical team has carefully gone over the results of your tests, and we've finally come to the careful consensus that you should keep active, drink more water, get enough sleep but not too much, and eat your vegetables."

"But..."

"Why not? Do you think vegetables are bad for you?"

"But doctor, I have a broken leg!"

Re: Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

#13

Great, so my brain isn't a doomed potato after all. Just need to sleep, exercise, eat well, socialize, reduce stress, stop doomscrolling, learn a language, play chess, meditate, avoid sugar, limit screen time, and reverse the entropy of the universe. Easy.

pick one intervention and work on just that one to start. less anxious decision paralysis

I say sleep is the best one to open with

Re: Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

#14
I had a successful exit two years ago ,thinking retirement would be bliss,traveling here, exploring hobbies there. But it all became routine and surprisingly boring, faster than I expected.

Over time, I started forgetting things, which really unsettled me. I became increasingly lazy and unmotivated.

Earlier this year,I began volunteering as a systems administrator and network engineer for an NGO and I couldn’t be happier. The daily interaction with staff has significantly improved my cognition,which had been rapidly declining.

Re: Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

#15

How many times do we need to hear "exercise and healthy eating" prolong life and improve cognitive function?

Apparently a lot. Between 2021 and 2023 the US obesity rate was 40%+.

Instead of berating people or repeating messages over and over, let's focus on getting GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists into as many people's hands as possible.

Re: Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

#16
post #14

I had a successful exit two years ago ,thinking retirement would be bliss,traveling here, exploring hobbies there. But it all became routine and surprisingly boring, faster than I expected. Over time, I started forgetting things, which really unsettled me. I became increasingly lazy and unmotivated. Earlier this year,I began volunteering as a systems administrator and network engineer for an NGO and I couldn’t be hap…

[dead]

Re: Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

#17

Great, so my brain isn't a doomed potato after all. Just need to sleep, exercise, eat well, socialize, reduce stress, stop doomscrolling, learn a language, play chess, meditate, avoid sugar, limit screen time, and reverse the entropy of the universe. Easy.

Don't forget to journal

Re: Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

#18

Great, so my brain isn't a doomed potato after all. Just need to sleep, exercise, eat well, socialize, reduce stress, stop doomscrolling, learn a language, play chess, meditate, avoid sugar, limit screen time, and reverse the entropy of the universe. Easy.

I could have told you that for a lot less than 50 mil!

Re: Cognitive decline can be slowed down with lifestyle changes

#19
My mother had Alzheimer's for 20 years. I would not recommend it for more than 10 years no matter how healthy you are.

I have one copy of the APOE4 gene and am ~40lbs overweight and probably drink too much, and will definitely double my weight and triple my alcohol consumption if I get it.

I have always said the heathier you are when you begin to die, the longer it takes to die.

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