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What if cognitive decline is not inevitable, but quietly shaped by how we live, think, and engage with the world each day?

This week on Live Well Be Well, I’m joined once again by Dr Tommy Wood, neuroscientist, researcher, and author of The Stimulated Mind, for a deeply hopeful conversation about brain health, ageing, and dementia prevention.

In this episode, Tommy brings clarity to one of our biggest modern fears: losing our minds. Drawing on decades of human research, he explains why up to half of dementias may be preventable, how genetics interact with lifestyle, and why stimulation, not resignation, plays a central role in protecting the brain across a lifetime.

Here’s What We Dive Into:

- Why dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing, and what the evidence actually shows about prevention.

- How genetic risk factors such as APOE4 interact with lifestyle, environment, and daily behaviours.

- Why women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and how education and cognitive stimulation influence risk.

- How believing you are “too old” can accelerate cognitive decline through reduced engagement and agency.

- Why mental and physical stimulation protect the brain, and how learning, novelty, and effort preserve neural networks.

- What artificial intelligence may be doing to memory, attention, and critical thinking when it replaces effort.

- How sleep quantity, quality, and regularity support long term brain health and repair.

- Why hearing, vision, and smell loss increase dementia risk, and how restoring them protects cognition.- How sensory input, movement, and recovery work together to support lifelong brain resilience.

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

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This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

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About Dr. Tommy Wood📘 Book - The Stimulated Mind

A science-backed guide to boosting mental sharpness, preventing cognitive decline, and future-proofing your brain at any age (available for preorder).

https://www.drtommywood.com/stimulated-mind

📸 Instagram:@drtommywood

🐦 Twitter: @DrRagnar

🌐 Website: https://www.drtommywood.com

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If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:

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Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:Science Simplified, Health Humanised.Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

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Highlights

00:00:00 Why dementia is widely misunderstood

00:02:05 Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and what is actually preventable

00:06:40 Genetics, APOE4, and lifestyle as a risk multiplier

00:09:35 Why women face higher Alzheimer’s risk

00:13:55 Education, work, and declining dementia rates

00:17:30 How mindset and self talk shape cognitive ageing

00:21:10 Autonomy, movement, and brain resilience

00:26:55 AI, effort, and the future of thinking

00:32:05 When technology supports cognition, and when it erodes it

00:39:45 Hearing, eyesight, and dementia risk

00:47:10 Smell, memory, and sensory stimulation

00:55:20 Sleep, recovery, and how the brain adapts

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