Mild cognitive impairment puts you at greater risk of developing Alzheimer's, but there are ways you can reduce that risk, and Dr. Richard Isaacson wants to show you how. He focuses on treating people with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer's, and he's doing pioneering work. Fortunately, his methods are available to you too. In today's video, I share Isaacson's best advice for people with MCI. See Part 1 of this two-part video series here: ****** Visit the website Alzheimer's Universe here: ****** Learn more about the Mediterranean diet here: ****** Visit the Go Cogno website: ****** Here is the text of key parts of today's video: I do these videos every week, and it's hard for me to believe that I've done almost 50 of them now. But the information that I have for you today is I think going to be some of the most valuable that I've ever offered. It's the best advice from one of the very best Alzheimer's doctors. And I think you're going to want to hear what he says, because these are all things that have really been shown to slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. The are things that he does with his patients, and you can do them too. Hi, I'm Tony Dearing of GoCogno.com, the website for people with mild cognitive impairment. This video is the second of 2 parts focusing on Dr. Richard Isaacson, the founder of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. His practice is focused on people with MCI or early stage Alzheimer's, and he's doing truly pioneering work. Isaacson's message is that based on the best evidence that we have right now, about one in three cases of Alzheimer's could be prevented if the person does everything right. As someone with MCI, I know you want to be that person. So what should you do? Here are Dr. Isaacson's answers. There the good news is, there are plenty things you can control, that have a direct bearing on your Alzheimer's risk. Here they are, and there are a lot of them. So where do you start? Well, based on the best science, three good places to begin would be exercise, cardiovascular risk and nutrition. On the question of exercise, Isaacson couldn't be more blunt. Here's what he says: “If there is one thing you can do today, right now, exercise is literally the only thing someone can do to reduce amyloid in the brain. Another way you can dramatically cut your risk is by addressing cardiovascular risks, in particular things like high blood pressure, Type II diabetes or high cholesterol. If you have any of those things, Isaacson says addressing them should be the top priority. “If you have diabetes, you have twice the risk of Alzheimer’s,” he says. “You are pushing the fast-forward button on Alzheimer’s. I also think high cholesterol pushes the fast-forward button on Alzheimer’s.” Another area that Isaacson puts a lot of emphasis on is diet and nutrition, and there, he has a very specific recommendation. “If I had to choose one type of dietary pattern with the best evidence, a Mediterranean-style diet would be my top choice,” he says. Now Dr. Isaacson is careful when he talks about Alzheimer's prevention. We don't have a cure, and we don't have any way to guarantee you won't get it. He's not saying anything otherwise. However, until that first big breakthrough drug comes along, or until we have some surefire method of prevention, all of these things are actions you can take right now to significantly reduce your risk. You can learn more about these things and many other prevention strategies by going to a website that Dr. Isaacson and his team have developed, called Alzheimer's Universe. It's a free, educational site where Isaacson offers you the same information he gives to his patients. It's at alzu.org and there's a link below. I encourage to go to the Alzheimer's Universe site and spend some time there. I also look forward to seeing you here again next week. Until then, as always, be kind to your mind. This site is educational, and is not intended as medical advice. It offers information about lifestyle choices that have been proven to help protect cognition. Always consult your doctor before making changes that can impact your health.