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Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

neurology.org

41–50 of 82 posts

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#41

Yes. The time to fix your health is now. Any unhealthy habits put time on the biological clock, and they'll just get harder to undo later. This is true if you're 20, 40, or 60. Plaque even starts building up on the arteries of healthy teenagers. It all adds up. But don't read this and panic or beat yourself up, that's a waste of energy. That's choosing the punishment instead of the fix. Instead, quietly start doing o…

I just watched this video by a doctor, and his point was every one of his ER patients had a problem that was years in the making (except for 1, a little girl who swallowed a battery) I Saw 120 Patients This Week. Here's Why They Were Actually Sick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiVKh97rJsg

It is a bit crazy that everybody seems to agree that diet and exercise are important, and yet it seems like society is hell bent on making those things very hard to do well.

I went to the mall recently (big mistake) and I had to get lunch at the food court. I don't think there was a single gram of fiber across the 10 or so restaurants. So much of America is drive-thru garbage. Yup -- you don't even have to stand up to get your Big Mac. You can endanger other people by eating it while you drive.

We tell people to get exercise and then force them to have 9-5 desk jobs that have a 45 minute car-commute each way. And what's so much worse is that people are paying a ton of money for that car that's slowly killing them. It's not entirely their fault though -- that's just the way our society is set up. Walkability is a luxury only the rich can afford.

Then, 20 years later you show up to the doctor and the standard course of action is to prescribe a bunch of medications. The doctor says "you should exercise more and eat better" and many people just don't.

So much is broken.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#42

It's mostly luck and genetics, but good sleep matters. My mother died from Alzheimer's at 77 but wrote down her symptoms as early as 60, a full six years before her diagnosis. Prior to her diagnosis, she walked her dog two miles a day, had an ideal weight, ate organic, never drank or smoke, used her brain constantly, and enjoyed a happy social life. The only problem I saw with her was she was a very light sleeper. He…

Are you aware of her APOE3/APOE4 status?

Nope.

I have one APOE4.

Her mother didn't get Alzheimer's until her mid-80s.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#43
post #19
post #7

The importance of walking can not be overstated. Walking for 30 mins every other day will dramatically improve your life if you are sedentary. If you can't do 30 minutes, start with 15.

Had an uncle who swore by this. He died at 57 of ALS. That obviously doesn't mean walking is bad, I just mean to point out that even those people who believe in it as a silver bullet, can be hit with something totally out of left field. Life is really quite brutish and short. You can do all the right things, and die early. All the wrong things, and live a long time. Take care of yourself for sure, but also find a bal…

Nobody thinks of it as a silver bullet. They know they can still get cancer, or get hit by a car, or whatever else.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can do everything right and get taken out by an accident. So far I've dodged a loose trailer that came off next to me going the opposite direction, a rock dislodged by a marmot from the cliff above, two drunk drivers drifting towards me, a city bus turning towards me on an icy road, a few other left turning drivers who didn't see me in a crosswalk (I now carry a high intensity pulsing flashlight for crossing at i…

I was almost taken out by two rogue kayaks being towed behind an oblivious truck driver. If I get taken out, I want it to be while I'm saving kids from an angry bear, not something stupid like ^

>I was almost taken out by two rogue kayaks being towed behind an oblivious truck driver.

Wow! That's some luck!

Movie night suggestion: Final Destination 1 and 2

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#45
post #28
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also the easiest to implement, imo. But there is a tradeoff: fewer waking hours during your best years cognitively for more years when you're older...

Poor sleep is a widespread problem and very few of those people are cognitively doing it intentionally as some sort of "tradeoff". The number of people "grinding on a startup" is tiny compared to the population of people who suffer from this problem. Instead it's caused by things like general anxiety, too much screen time before bed, or not having consistent sleep schedules. And other health related reasons that comp…

You can add having a child to the list. Nothing has caused more disruption to my sleep as my son has done

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#46
post #7

The importance of walking can not be overstated. Walking for 30 mins every other day will dramatically improve your life if you are sedentary. If you can't do 30 minutes, start with 15.

For those who are inclined, I recommend running instead (even if you think you aren't a runner)

My body has been completely transformed from 15 years of running. I'm 5'7" and 135 pounds at age 41. My face looks thin, I have a better body than most 20 year olds. I gave myself the best gift that I could possibly give myself.

If they could distill 15 years of running (5x per week) and put it in pill form, I truly believe it would be the most valuable thing medicine has ever created.

All it takes is 45 minutes per day for 5 days per week. And you can actually have fun while doing it! It takes a long time to get to that point but it's so worth it.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#47
If anyone wants to go down a rabbit hole, go search for topics around fructose corn syrup, visceral fat and artery plaque. It can play a substantial role in vascular health. I'm not a doctor but there's a bunch of studies posted online about this and my doctor also agreed when I asked him about it.

Avoiding fructose corn syrup is a really good idea. It's in a ton of sugary drinks. It really messes with inflammation in your body and your liver materializes it in a very similar way as alcohol. Basically both are bad and can cause similar issues.

For me personally I walk a few miles a day for 15+ years and I'm in ok shape. Cutting out Arizona iced tea (has a lot of fructose corn syrup) has made a material difference in how my body operates, I used to drink 1-2 cans a day for a while. Nowadays going 18 hours without food is no problem, I don't have mid-day tired spikes and I didn't change what I eat. I can't explain it but it feels like it reset something.

When I've been on vacation in other countries outside of the US for a few weeks, I noticed the same thing (less hungry, more energy, etc.) and a commonality there is I also didn't drink large amounts of fructose corn syrup. There's a lot of variables I'm sure but I can say I feel a difference for the better after stopping and I've now repeated these feelings when doing normal things locally.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just watched this video by a doctor, and his point was every one of his ER patients had a problem that was years in the making (except for 1, a little girl who swallowed a battery) I Saw 120 Patients This Week. Here's Why They Were Actually Sick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiVKh97rJsg

It is a bit crazy that everybody seems to agree that diet and exercise are important, and yet it seems like society is hell bent on making those things very hard to do well. I went to the mall recently (big mistake) and I had to get lunch at the food court. I don't think there was a single gram of fiber across the 10 or so restaurants. So much of America is drive-thru garbage. Yup -- you don't even have to stand up t…

Exercise is taxing, and healthy food isn't as tasty or easy as junk food.

Humans are natural experts in min-maxing calories spent vs calories consumed. Then we solved food ~100 years ago and its been a kid in a candy shop ever since.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#49

Yes. The time to fix your health is now. Any unhealthy habits put time on the biological clock, and they'll just get harder to undo later. This is true if you're 20, 40, or 60. Plaque even starts building up on the arteries of healthy teenagers. It all adds up. But don't read this and panic or beat yourself up, that's a waste of energy. That's choosing the punishment instead of the fix. Instead, quietly start doing o…

I just watched this video by a doctor, and his point was every one of his ER patients had a problem that was years in the making (except for 1, a little girl who swallowed a battery) I Saw 120 Patients This Week. Here's Why They Were Actually Sick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiVKh97rJsg

The kid dying is sad, but it could have probably been prevented if the batteries were coated with a bitter agent such as denatonium.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#50
post #7

The importance of walking can not be overstated. Walking for 30 mins every other day will dramatically improve your life if you are sedentary. If you can't do 30 minutes, start with 15.

For those who are inclined, I recommend running instead (even if you think you aren't a runner) My body has been completely transformed from 15 years of running. I'm 5'7" and 135 pounds at age 41. My face looks thin, I have a better body than most 20 year olds. I gave myself the best gift that I could possibly give myself. If they could distill 15 years of running (5x per week) and put it in pill form, I truly believ…

For those who are a bit intimidated by the thought of starting running, especially if you are a bit older, you don't need to run hard or fast. Slow jogging (zone 2) results in great cardiovascular improvements. Don't be afraid to start by alternating jogging and walking.

And if you can't spare 45 minutes 5 days per week, do it 3 days a week instead. Something is better than nothing.

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