DavidPerlmutterMD · 2026-08-19 · David Perlmutter (host), Emma Heming Willis, Nicole Beurkens

Why Women Should Start Protecting Their Brain Now with Dr. Nicole Beurkens & Emma Heming Willis

18 research-tied claims examined: 2 overstated 3 context 11 supported 2 unverified

11

Supported by research

0:15:01Nicole Beurkenssupportedmoderate

One in five women will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

"Uh, one in five women will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's." (said at 0:15:01)

Large prospective cohort data establish that the estimated remaining lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia for a woman is approximately 1 in 5 (around 20%), compared to roughly 1 in 10 for men. In the Framingham Heart Study, which prospectively tracked participants and accounted for competing mortality risks, the estimated lifetime risk of dementia/Alzheimer's disease was 1 in 5 for women starting from midlife.

0:15:01Nicole Beurkenssupportedhigh

Two-thirds of the people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are women.

"Two-thirds of the people diagnosed with Alzheimer's are women." (said at 0:15:01)

Large-scale epidemiological studies and comprehensive reviews consistently confirm that women account for approximately two-thirds (roughly 60% to 67%) of all diagnosed Alzheimer's disease cases. This difference is driven both by women's longer average life expectancy and by distinct sex-specific biological and hormonal risk factors.

0:18:41David Perlmutter (host)supportedmoderate

Stroboscopic 40 Hz flashing light can cause nausea and headaches in users.

"Most use what's called stroboscopic light, and that's the type of light that flashes. Then you can see the flashing, and that can cause nausea. It can cause headaches." (said at 0:18:41)

Visible stroboscopic light flickering (including at 40 Hz gamma frequencies) is known to induce visual discomfort, eyestrain, headaches, and nausea in susceptible individuals, particularly with prolonged exposure or higher luminance intensities. Because stroboscopic 40 Hz flashing can be strenuous and cause compliance issues due to these side effects, researchers have investigated alternative methods such as invisible spectral flicker (ISF) to improve tolerability while maintaining neural entrainment.

0:26:55David Perlmutter (host)supportedmoderate

Exercise enhances production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), leading to neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, reduced inflammation, and improved insulin function.

"Well, we get the idea that exercise enhances the production in the brain of BDNF. It's a trophic hormone, leads to neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, all the things, reduces inflammation, improves insulin functionality, all of that." (said at 0:26:55)

Exercise increases the synthesis and circulating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin that plays a key role in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and synaptic plasticity. Broad scientific literature and reviews demonstrate that exercise-induced BDNF elevation, along with parallel metabolic and neuroimmune pathways, reduces neuroinflammation and improves insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis.

0:26:55David Perlmutter (host)supportedmoderate

Adequate sleep promotes BDNF production, neurogenesis, and synaptogenesis while reducing inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity in the brain.

"We get the idea that exercise enhances the production in the brain of BDNF. It's a trophic hormone, leads to neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, all the things, reduces inflammation, improves insulin functionality, all of that. Sleep does the same thing." (said at 0:26:55)

Adequate physiological sleep supports brain health by preserving brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, facilitating hippocampal adult neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity, and constraining neuroinflammation. Conversely, sleep disruption and deprivation are well-documented across preclinical and clinical literature to decrease BDNF expression, impair neurogenesis and synaptic remodeling, and trigger neuroinflammatory signaling pathways.

0:31:28Nicole Beurkenssupportedmoderate

Estradiol specifically is critical for the brain's ability to utilize glucose for energy, and reductions in estradiol during perimenopause and menopause impair brain energy metabolism.

"And glucose is that primary energy source for the brain. But what happens in perimenopause and into menopause, as those estradiol levels drop, it turns out estrogen, estradiol specifically, is really critical for the brain's ability to use glucose for energy. And so when we start to have those declines, and as those declines become more pronounced as we get closer to menopause, those estradiol reductions really impact our brain's ability to have the energy that it needs to function well." (said at 0:31:28)

Preclinical and human neuroimaging studies demonstrate that 17β-estradiol acts as a master regulator of cerebral glucose metabolism and mitochondrial bioenergetics. During the perimenopausal and menopausal transitions, dropping estrogen levels are associated with marked declines in the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) as measured by FDG-PET imaging, as well as reductions in mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase activity, leading to an established regional hypometabolic bioenergetic phenotype.

0:39:57Emma Heming Willissupportedmoderate

Approximately 30% of frontotemporal dementia cases are genetic or familial, while 70% of cases are sporadic.

"I know that for, you know, 30%, it can be in genetics, you know, you can see this or within the family, and you can see it through a grandmother, a brother, and, you know, you can see sort of that lineage. And then for, you know, 70% of people with FTD, it's sporadic, meaning it just can happen" (said at 0:39:57)

Published reviews and epidemiological data on frontotemporal dementia (FTD) confirm that approximately 30% to 40% of FTD cases are familial or heritable, while the remaining 60% to 70% are sporadic.

0:41:10Emma Heming Willissupportedmoderate

Projections indicate that dementia cases worldwide are expected to triple by the year 2050.

"we're at a time where, you know, they say like 2050 dementia cases are going to triple." (said at 0:41:10)

Global Burden of Disease Study projections published in The Lancet Public Health estimate that the number of people living with dementia worldwide will increase nearly threefold, from approximately 57.4 million in 2019 to 152.8 million by 2050. This projected increase is largely driven by population growth and population ageing.

0:43:15David Perlmutter (host)supportedmoderate

A 2024 Lancet report found that addressing 14 modifiable risk factors could reduce Alzheimer's and dementia rates by 40% to 50%.

"the Lancet published in 2024 a study indicating that if we paid attention to 14 modifiable factors like reducing alcohol, wearing a helmet when we're bike riding, keeping our blood sugar under control, keeping our blood pressure under control, etc., 14 modifiable factors, that rates of Alzheimer's would not increase, but would be reduced by as much as 40 to 50%." (said at 0:43:15)

The 2024 Lancet Commission report on dementia prevention, intervention, and care updated its life-course model to include 14 modifiable risk factors (including less education, hearing loss, hypertension, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, air pollution, social isolation, untreated vision loss, and high LDL cholesterol). The report calculated that globally, approximately 45% of dementia cases are attributable to these 14 modifiable risk factors combined (with country-specific population attributable fraction estimates typically ranging between 39% and 60%).

0:48:06Nicole Beurkenssupportedmoderate

It takes an average of 17 years for research findings to be implemented into clinical medical practice.

"that it takes a really long time, on average 17 years, for things to reach clinical practice once they've been shown in research." (said at 0:48:06)

The statement accurately cites a canonical metric in implementation science. The estimate that it takes an average of 17 years for scientific discoveries to be integrated into routine clinical practice originates from an influential synthesis by Balas and Boren (2000), which modeled the research-to-practice pipeline. Subsequent reviews of time lags in translational research have examined this 17-year figure across multiple clinical domains, noting that while the duration varies widely depending on the intervention type, technology, and study design, a ~17-year average lag is widely documented in the literature.

0:43:30David Perlmutter (host)supportedhigh

The annual healthcare cost associated with Alzheimer's disease and dementia is approximately $360 billion.

"because here we are spending $360 billion right now. That's the number that's always quoted." (said at 0:43:30)

According to the Alzheimer's Association's 2024 Facts and Figures report, total payments for healthcare, long-term care, and hospice services for individuals aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias in the United States were estimated at $360 billion in 2024.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.