672. My Mom Died of Alzheimer's. Are My Hormones, Thyroid & Metabolism Changing My Risk?

What if Alzheimer's doesn't begin when you start forgetting things, but decades earlier, with your blood sugar, your waistline, and your hormones? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. David Perlmutter, Board-Certified Neurologist and author of Grain Brain and his new book, Brain Defenders, to unpack why your brain's future is something you can influence. We talk about microglia, the brain's own immune cells, how they shift from protecting your brain to damaging it, and why chasing beta amyloid may be missing the bigger picture.

We also get into how thyroid hormone, especially T3, fuels the mitochondria that help keep those immune cells supportive. We look at why the drop in estrogen during perimenopause may help explain why two-thirds of Alzheimer's patients are women. Dr. Perlmutter shares where he stands on hormone replacement therapy and testosterone and what the research says so far about GLP-1 medications and brain health. He also names the labs he wants everyone in their 30s, 40s, and 50s to know, including fasting insulin, A1C, and homocysteine.

What you'll learn:

Why Alzheimer's may begin decades before memory loss shows up

Why Dr. Perlmutter says carrying the APOE4 gene variant means predisposed, not predetermined

What microglia are and how they shift from supportive to destructive

How blood sugar, gut inflammation, and head trauma can all affect your brain's immune cells

How thyroid hormone and your mitochondria work together to support brain energy

Why falling estrogen during perimenopause may put women's brains at greater risk

Where Dr. Perlmutter stands on hormone replacement therapy and testosterone

What the research says so far about GLP-1 medications and the brain

Tune in to learn how to start protecting your brain now, long before any symptoms show up.