Cut Alzheimer’s Risk Through Nature, Language-Learning, Love, and Trust

If there is any silver lining to the rising rate of Alzheimer’s disease, it surely lies in the drive to understand the lifestyle factors causing it.

It was several decades ago that interest in lifestyle over genetic factors in healthy brain aging began to bloom, exemplified by the study of the brain health of 678 Catholic nuns.

Pointing to the benefits of lifelong learning, the nun study showed that the dementia rate among nuns who spoke four languages or more was five times lower than that of the monolingual nuns.

Lifelong learning is just one of nine brain-health habits examined in this “Vital Signs” episode, featuring brain-health expert Dr. Daniel Monti.

Through the contrasting examples of his two grandmothers, Monti highlights the roles that living with purpose, social connection, and staying active play in guarding against Alzheimer’s.

“She was a farmer most of her life; loved her garden,” Monti says of the grandmother who fared better in brain health.

“To survive on the farm, there were things you had to do … and she continued to do them into old age.”

From exercise and healthy eating to social bonds and living with purpose, this “Vital Signs” episode examines the time-honored human traditions that safeguard the aging brain.

Monti is a professor and founding chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University.

Coming Soon:

See “Why so OCD?” on the deeper factors that drive obsessive-compulsive disorder and paths to relief on “Vital Signs.”

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Read Dr. Monti’s Books, “Tapestry of Health” and “Brain Weaver”

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Related/Referenced studies/reports:

The Nun Study: Insights from 30 years of aging and dementia research – PMC

What multilingual nuns can tell us about dementia | Waterloo News

Associations of computer gaming with incident dementia, cognitive functions, and brain structure: a prospective cohort study and Mendelian randomization analysis – PubMed

Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park – PubMed

View through a window may influence recovery from surgery – PubMed

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Vital Signs’ host, guests, and contributors offer general information on improving health and wellness. This is not intended as diagnosis or medical advice. You should consult your medical doctor or holistic doctor before enacting any suggested strategies for health and wellness improvement, including those in relation to preventing or treating specific diseases featured on this program.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of NTD.

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