Science Reveals 4 New Ways to Lower Your Dementia Risk

Quality sleep has long been linked with reduced dementia risk – not to mention improvements in mood, immunity, blood sugar, heart health, and weight. But a new study zeroes in on the right kind of sleep for Alzheimer’s prevention.

“This study shows that deep sleep, which is a slow-wave sleep, and REM sleep are two stages that play a very important role in clearing brain toxins and supporting memory networks,” said Pahlajani, who wasn’t involved in the research. 

2. Take the easiest class at the rec center.

You’d think that a hard workout would be better than an easy one – but maybe not. New findings just published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia found little difference.

The study compared cognitive decline (a problem with thinking skills) in people who did moderate- to high-intensity workouts versus those who did low-intensity stretching, balance, and range-of-motion activities at the YMCA three or four times per week for a year. 

3. Target your cholesterol count.

Keeping your LDL cholesterol low could dramatically reduce your risk of dementia – and statins can offer other benefits for those who qualify.

People whose LDL cholesterol was below 70 mg/dL had a 26% reduced risk of dementia and a 28% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s specifically, compared to people whose LDL was 130 mg/dL or higher, according to new research.

4. For some, diabetes drugs can help protect the brain.

If you have type 2 diabetes and you’re north of 50, this finding matters to you: Taking a GLP-1 or a SGLT2i (two types of diabetes medications) was linked to a 33%-43% lower risk of Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. The average age of the people in the study was around 65.

Watch out for hype about GLP-1s – like Ozempic – and dementia prevention, though, said Diana Thiara, MD, medical director of the Weight Management Program at the University of California San Francisco. She authored an editorial alongside the new GLP-1 and SGLT2i studies in the journal JAMA Neurology. The new research isn’t large enough or rigorous enough to prompt insurance companies to change their coverage policies, she said, but it may impact conversations between doctors and type 2 diabetes patients.

Two randomized controlled trials, called EVOKE and EVOKE Plus, are underway to better see how taking the GLP-1 semaglutide (the generic form of Ozempic) impacts cognitive decline. The studies will wrap up in October 2026.

“What we know is that really focusing on your cardiometabolic health and reducing cholesterol and improving sleep and all of that, it all goes together,” Thiara said. “By reducing your risk of diabetes and heart attacks and strokes, you’re reducing your risk of developing dementia, and vice versa.”

SOURCES:

Silky Pahlajani, MD, assistant professor of behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian, New York City.

Sudha Seshadri, MD, director, Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Michael Dobbs, MD, MHCM, professor and Fairfax Wood endowed chair of clinical neurosciences and associate dean of clinical affairs, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton.

Diana Thiara, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine and medical director, Weight Management Program, University of California San Francisco.

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: “Lower slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep are associated with brain atrophy of AD-vulnerable regions.”

Alzheimer’s & Dementia: “Effects of exercise on cognition and Alzheimer’s biomarkers in a randomized controlled trial of adults with mild cognitive impairment: The EXERT study,” “Effects of exercise versus usual care on older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: EXERT versus ADNI.”

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, & Psychiatry: “Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and risk of incident dementia: a distributed network analysis using common data models.”

JAMA Neurology: “Cardioprotective Glucose-Lowering Agents and Dementia Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” “GLP-1RA and SGLT2i Medications for Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias.”

News release, Wake Forest University School of Medicine: “Even Light Exercise Could Help Slow Cognitive Decline in People at Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.”