Why Women Are Twice as Likely to Get Alzheimer's and What To Do About It | Sandy Gleysteen

Sandy Gleysteen, award-winning journalist turned Alzheimer’s advocate and Chief Communications Officer at the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM), joins us to unpack why women bear a disproportionate share of Alzheimer’s risk and what can actually be done about it. The conversation covers the critical role of estrogen as a neuroprotector, the window of opportunity around perimenopause and HRT, and the surprising finding that up to 50% of Alzheimer’s cases may be preventable through lifestyle.

WHAT WE EXPLORE

* Why two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases are women, and the estrogen connection

* Perimenopause as a critical window for brain protection and HRT timing

* Up to 50% of Alzheimer’s cases may be preventable with lifestyle changes

* Exercise and nutrition as first-line defenses against cognitive decline

* How poor sleep allows amyloid plaques to build up in the brain

* Why loneliness is as damaging to brain health as smoking two packs a day

* The APOE4 gene test: should you get tested, and what to do with results

* Creatine for women: brain and body benefits that outpace the research on men

* Statins, cholesterol, and a critical open question no one is answering yet

* Practical caregiving strategies when someone you love has dementia