Building Resilience Against Alzheimer's Disease
Dr. Thomas Verny, psychiatrist and Alzheimer's researcher, discusses practical steps to build resilience against Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Verny outlines lifestyle-based strategies - including avoiding repeated head trauma, staying active, eating a varied Mediterranean-style diet, nurturing your gut microbiome through socializing and food variety, prioritizing restorative sleep, and managing stress - that can reduce the risk of cognitive decline. He also explains why supplements are less effective than whole foods and offers simple sleep-hygiene tips (limit screens, avoid late caffeine/alcohol, keep the bedroom for sleep). Essential listening for anyone interested in brain health, aging well, and evidence-based prevention strategies.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Well, joining me now is Dr. Thomas Verny. I should say welcome back to the program is Dr. Thomas Verny. He's a psychiatrist and studier, researcher of Alzheimer's. Dr. Verny, great to see you. Thanks for joining us this morning.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
Thank you. My pleasure.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
So last time we had you on about a month or so, six weeks ago, we discussed decoding Alzheimer's. There's a lot of research going on. You kind of broke that down for us.
Now you come back with another great article about building resilience to Alzheimer's. So I guess my first question is, I guess it's possible to protect yourself from the angst and the challenges of Alzheimer's.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
I think that it is possible. It's not a guarantee. It just increases your chances of growing old in a healthy way instead of coming down with dementia.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
And let's talk about some of these are all lifestyle choices that people can make. Again, you can't outrun genetics, you can't outrun things that you have no control over, but what are some of the lifestyle choices you can make, we can make, I can make as an individual to maybe build up that resilience?
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
Well, I have 10 rules that I write about and obviously we don't have time to talk about all 10 of them, but there's some very simple ones like, you know, don't get your head banged on too often. So for example, if you're a soccer player and the FIFA World Soccer Championship is coming up this week, you will see, you know, a lot of soccer players hitting the ball with their heads. Now you do that day after day after day, it takes a toll on your brain.
And so that kind of trauma is not the best medicine for your head. So trying to avoid that would be a really good thing. But, you know, for the average person who doesn't play soccer, exercise is incredibly important.
So many of us, and I'm sure you and I and many others are guilty of this, you know, we spend a lot of time sitting down, sitting in front of our computers, and that is just not healthy. And a healthy body really, of course, also guarantees or at least contributes to a healthy brain. So the brain and the body, of course, go very much together.
You know, the brain is not disconnected from the rest of the body. So everything that goes on in the body will also affect the brain and vice versa, which takes me to the next thing, which is nutrition.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Doctor, if I could just, I want to come to nutrition in a second. I want to go back to the head and exercise for a second, if I may, and then we can go to nutrition. So, you know, a lot of people probably do not play soccer.
Some people here in the States may play football, they may play hockey, but it doesn't even, probably doctor, doesn't have to be a sport. If you get in a car accident or you get into, you know, maybe you just fall down and bump your head. These are things that could contribute, I would think, to Alzheimer's.
Sorry to interrupt you.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
No, no, that's fine. It's your show.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
That's okay, but I want to be respectful and I don't want to interrupt your flow. Is that correct? I mean, it's just, it's any type of trauma to the head brain region.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
Any kind of trauma. And it's a good thing to keep that in mind and try to avoid that because it will affect you in the long run, especially if it is repeated. And daily exercise, no matter how little, is better than none.
So, you know, many of your viewers need to keep that in mind. I mean, even if they can just stand up once in a while from the seat and walk around the desk, that is helpful. What is not helpful is staying seated for hours on end.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
So, I interrupted you. I want to get back to nutrition. We hear a lot about nutrition when it comes to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, but what you eat, doctor, has an impact on your brain health as well.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
Yes, it does. And in ways that perhaps are not always well known because your gut microbiome, which is all the bacteria and viruses that you carry in your gut, which is a loft, by the way, it's about five kilograms. You have a great deal of gut bacteria, which are actually very, very important for your health.
And what is really important is to have like a variety of gut bacteria. And a lot of older people don't eat a variety of foods. The older you get, the less variety you usually like.
Many old people, especially if they live on their own, will prepare very simple meals for themselves. Sometimes they will just have like cornflakes or milk or something like that, something that is simple and doesn't need cooking. And when you start eating like that, the gut bacteria in your gut deteriorate, and they don't give you the kind of feedback for your brain that the brain needs in order to thrive.
So, a lot of research has been done now. This is very sort of popular research on gut bacteria, and they have shown that people who do not have a varied gut bacteria tend to be lonely and depressed. And then they tend to have a higher rate of dementia and especially Alzheimer's.
So, not only do you have to eat sort of wisely, but you also have to keep in mind the variety of foods that you eat. So, you know, it should be vegetables, a little bit of meat, lots of fish, more or less what's called a Mediterranean diet. And avoid, you know, too much beef, and focus more on fish and vegetables and beans.
But the important thing is variety. And they have also shown that people who socialize, which is another thing that we can do as we get older and especially to prevent dementia, the more you socialize, the more interactions you have with other people, the more your gut bacteria thrive for some reason. We don't really know why.
And the more the gut bacteria thrive, the more you thrive. So, it's all connected, socializing, eating, and your brain.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, I remember I was talking about that, how a lot of times when researchers are doing their work, they're really focused on the brain, and they're not focused on these other interactive components, or at least they weren't traditionally. It seems like now they are. Let me ask you about supplementation, because people out there say, you know, I like my grilled chicken with salad every day.
Can you supplement for the gut bacteria? Does that work? Or is that like just buying expensive supplements and having expensive urine?
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
Yes, yes to both of those questions. Supplements work, but they don't work as well as the natural foods, okay? Because with the natural foods, you get all the other elements, okay?
You get the minerals, you get the copper, the zinc, the iron. Often you don't get that with supplements. And even if they are in the supplements, you don't get the right proportions.
So, it's really better, if you can, to eat a variety of foods and not rely on supplements.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, yeah. A very important point. Let me transition to sleep, because I think a lot, as we get older, I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping the last few months.
Sleep, that rest, especially good REM sleep, doctor, that's really important to maintaining good brain health.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
Absolutely, absolutely. During sleep, the macrophages and microglia and all the sort of immune system components clear your brain of garbage. And if you don't sleep, that garbage collection just doesn't take place.
So, then you get, of course, you know, more and more garbage. You know, you get the tau and the amyloid plaques and all of that collects and increases your chances of your brain not functioning properly. So, that's why sleep is so important.
And, you know, there are lots of ways to try to improve your sleep, and I'm sure you have read about it. But, you know, the main thing is, like, don't look at your screen before going to sleep. Don't listen to the news, because it will only upset you.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
There's hardly any good news nowadays, so...
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Well, especially if they're looking for eyeballs, they don't want to have good news, because who wants to hear about good news? They don't want to hear about...anyway, that's for, you know, the clickbait thing. But anyway, I interrupted you.
Go ahead, doctor.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
That's okay. So, and of course, you know, don't drink any beverages that contain caffeine, obviously, you know. Alcohol should be avoided late at night, you know, perhaps at six, seven o'clock, a glass of wine is not going to do you any harm.
But after that, probably should be avoided. Any discussions leading to heated exchanges with your wife or partner should be avoided. The bedroom should be a place only for where you sleep.
Like, you should not spend time in the bedroom during the day, because your body gets used to the fact that when I come to bed, in my bedroom, I go to sleep. So, you are training your body to expect to go to sleep. If you use the bedroom for other purposes, like your office, some people have their offices, their desk, or something like that, in their bedrooms, that is not a good idea.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yes. Let me...two more. We're kind of running out of time, but we'll bring you back again next month.
Let me ask you about two more. Stress and also vaccination. You hit stress first, because I think you already kind of hinted to this, you know, you got to get sleep, but any type of altercation, any type of stressful feelings doesn't do you justice.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
No, no, no. And in terms of stress, you know, we humans are able to create our own stress, even if there's no stress on the outside of us, just by thinking about things, right? Once I read a terrific book by a neuroscientist who said, why zebras don't get ulcers.
And, you know, zebras don't get ulcers because they don't have the imagination that we have. But if I start thinking about this interview, for example, with you, and I start thinking of, oh, gee, I'm not prepared. Oh, my God.
You know, he's going to ask me questions that I don't have answers to. I can create a great deal of anxiety for myself if I go that way, right? And the other thing, you know, that people do is that they catastrophize.
So let's say that I think along these lines and I think, oh, my God, this is going to be terrible. But, you know, then I think to myself, well, what is going to, you know, what is the worst thing that can happen, really? You know, like, I'm not going to lose my job.
I'm not going to get sick. Like, OK, so might be a little bit uncomfortable. Big deal.
I can get over that. And that's the stress. So, well, you know, just really cutting down on what is causing your stress, really thinking about it in reality.
Jeffrey Snyder, Broadcast Retirement Network
Yeah, really important. I thought I actually thought you're going to say when it comes to the zebra, doctor, that it has something to do with the stripes. But I guess I'm has nothing to do with stripes.
Has all that comes. All is about the imagination of the human brain. Dr. Verny, we're going to have to leave it there. Great article, great research. And look, we'll bring you back again very soon. Thank you, doctor.
Thomas R. Verny, MD, Clinical Psychologist
Happy to come back. Thank you.
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This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 6:30 AM.