The Alzheimer's solution
Important research on why modern exercise may be failing our brains.
Post summary
Alzheimer’s is arguably the worst disease a person can get—it’s highly prevalent and growing while other diseases decrease.
But some populations around the world have vastly lower rates than we do (less than one percent compared to our 11 percent). And their symptoms are far less debilitating.
The answer may lie in movement—and it suggests we’re looking at exercise wrong.
The good news: There is a solution.
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Audio version
It’s located at the bottom of the post.
The post
I’ve covered health and exercise as a journalist for nearly two decades, speaking with thousands of scientists and reading even more studies.
But I recently discovered that I’ve been overlooking a critical part of exercise and its relationship to brain health.
Alzheimer’s is truly terrible—perhaps the worst you can get. And it’s growing.
Eleven percent of Americans have Alzheimer’s dementia today, but the number of cases is projected to double in thirty years.
From 2000 to 2021, deaths from diseases like heart disease and stroke dropped, but those from Alzheimer’s jumped 140 percent.
But here’s what’s curious: Studies on hunter-gatherers show just one percent of their older adults get dementia and Alzheimer’s. And when they do get it, it comes later in life and typically doesn’t result in total debilitation.
The difference may lie in movement—but not just any movement.
The way we move today isn’t allowing us to reap all the protective brain benefits. Not even close.
My realization about this didn’t come in a gym. It emerged from inside a maze-like slot canyon in Southern Utah and through a follow-up conversation with one of the world’s top scientists.
And it’s fundamentally changed how I think about exercise.
From here you’ll learn:
What our modern movement lacks for brain health.
Why that may set us up for brain-related diseases.
Five ways to move in a way that research suggests can decrease your odds of brain diseases.