Why dementia could start in your blood vessels with Dr. William Li

55 million people suffer dementia worldwide with numbers expected to double every 20 years. Understanding the link between our heart health and brain function is critical, illuminating the profound impact that heart health has on preventing dementia.

Dr. William Li, an expert in cardiovascular and metabolic health. He reveals how caring for our heart is not just about longevity but maintaining sharp, effective brain function as we age. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than seventy diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Dr. Li is also a New York Times best-selling author.

In today’s episode, Dr. Li explains how simple lifestyle choices in diet, exercise and sleep can drastically shape our brain's health and stave off dementia.

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Timecodes

00:00Introduction

01:23Quickfire questions

03:30Understanding dementia and Alzheimer's disease

04:50Dementia versus ageing

06:35The role of blood vessels in brain health

07:55How circulation affects brain function

09:23What causes blood clots and strokes?

11:06The importance of maintaining healthy blood vessels

12:15The impact of lifestyle choices on brain health

15:01What happens in our brains when we sleep?

19:35What is the glymphatic system?

22:40Vascular dementia may be the most common form of dementia

24:35The role of glucose in brain function

27:10What causes dementia and why does it happen when we get older?

29:00Preventing dementia with lifestyle changes

31:10What are healthy blood vessels like?

37:50The surprising role of EPCs in brain repair

41:30Can you slow down or reverse dementia?

52:08The connection between gut health and brain health

51:40The importance of exercise for brain health

56:30How to avoid dementia

01:01:16The link between mental health and cardiovascular disease

📚 Dr. William Li’s books:

• Eat to Beat Disease
• Eat to Beat Your Diet

📚 Books from our ZOE Scientists:

• Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
• Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Relevant studies:

• Ahuman brain vascular atlas reveals diverse mediators of Alzheimer’s risk, published in Nature
• Heart-brainconnections: Phenotypic and genetic insights from magnetic resonance images, published in Science
• Cocoaflavanol consumption improves cognitive function, blood pressure control, and metabolic profile in elderly subjects: the Cocoa, Cognition, and Aging (CoCoA) Study—a randomized controlled trial, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Episode transcripts are available here.