Cognitive Decline Expert: The Disease That Starts in Your 30s but Kills You in Your 70s

Steven Bartlett (0:00)

We have this white powder in front of me. You got a big smile on your face.

Louisa Nicola (0:04)

I do because I don't care who you are. You should definitely be having this. So let's talk about creatine. Phenomenal research shows you can creatine your way out of sleep deprivation. It can protect your brain against a concussion, stroke from stress. And there was a study done on Alzheimer's disease patients, and they found that patients not only preserved their cognitive functions, but they had more energy and they were able to exercise more.

And I know this because I'm a clinician. And over the last decade, I've been surrounded by the greatest neurosurgeons in the world studying the brain. And so I'm here to tackle one disease, and that is Alzheimer's, because it generally starts in our thirties. And 60 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's. 70% being women, and I get angry and I get passionate, because women have been lied to, they've been underrepresented, they downplay their symptoms, or they're too scared to ask their doctor for advice. And what people don't really know is that it is a preventable disease, but it's like end stage cancer. Once you get the diagnosis, there is no cure. And the fact that so many people are at the mercy of a disease that is preventable is not okay with me. And I don't think people understand these things. Like people don't really know that we're becoming more sedentary, which is a disease. And there was a study that was done on this that showed that if you do 10 air squats every hour, this can compensate for your sedentary lifestyle. And then we have several lifestyle factors that can lower your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease, as well as showing you what five minutes a day can do for your brain performance, just using a tennis ball and an eye patch.

Steven Bartlett (1:41)

Guys, I've got a favour to ask before this episode begins. 69% of you that listen to the show frequently haven't yet hit the follow button. And that follow button is very smart because it means you won't miss the best episodes. The algorithm, if you follow a show, will deliver you the best episodes from that show very prominently in your feed. So when we have our best episodes on this show, the most shared episodes, the most rated episodes, I would love you to know. And the simple way for you to know that is to hit that follow button. But also the fact that I think what 41% of you have chosen to follow the show that listen to it regularly is the reason why we've been able to improve everything. It's the simple, easy, free thing that you can do to help us make the show better. I would be hugely grateful if you could take a minute on the app you're listening to this on right now and hit that follow button. Thank you so, so, so much. Louisa, what is it you do in simple terms? And I guess most importantly, why is it that you do it and why now?

Louisa Nicola (2:41)

Over the last decade, I've been studying the brain. I'm both a clinician and an academic, so I get to see the brain and also get to research it. And I'm really here to tackle one disease, and that is Alzheimer's disease.

Steven Bartlett (2:57)

Why is this so important now?

Louisa Nicola (3:00)

Right now, because 60 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's disease. That number is going to triple by the year 2050 110 million women will have Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050 This is a disease that robs you of who you are, your complete identity. So we're going to get really into this straight away, because I brought Henry with me.

Steven Bartlett (3:26)

For anyone that can't see, Henry is a model brain that she's holding in her hands.

Louisa Nicola (3:30)

This is around two pounds. And if you actually feel it, and if you actually feel a real human brain, it feels like tofu. But this is everything you are. And the fact that so many people are at the mercy of a disease that is preventable is not okay with me.

It doesn't sit well with me. We used to think that women were disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's disease because we lived longer, because age played a role in it. But we now have substantial evidence to show that it's not the fact that women live longer, or people in general, because dementia and Alzheimer's disease are not part of the natural brain aging process. For women, and they differ from men, and we can separate the sexes and talk about it. But for women, it is purely because being a woman is a risk factor for getting this disease. Now, if we go through and we have a look at all of the people that currently have Alzheimer's disease, 95% of them could have been prevented. Because this is not a disease of genetics, it's a disease of lifestyle.