What does cholesterol have to do with dementia? Join me in Episode #333 as I sit down with Dr Kellyann Niotis and Dr Thomas Dayspring to explore how cholesterol metabolism impacts brain health and what you can do to reduce your risk of cognitive decline. From cutting-edge insights into cholesterol’s role in neurodegenerative diseases to key risk factors for dementia, this episode provides practical tips to help you protect your brain for years to come.
“While it’s never too late to start being proactive and to do something about potential pathology that could be developing in your brain, really we should be thinking about this in people’s twenties and thirties.” Dr Kellyann Niotis
Dr Kellyann Niotis is a preventive neurologist and the Director of Parkinson’s Disease & Lewy Body Dementia Prevention Research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases Florida. She leads the preventive neurology program at Early Medical and is the first fellowship-trained preventive neurologist in the U.S. Dr Thomas Dayspring is a renowned clinical lipidologist, Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and expert in cholesterol metabolism with decades of experience. Together, they bring extensive knowledge and understanding of how cholesterol and lifestyle factors impact brain and cardiovascular health.
“The sooner in life we recognise who is going down that path to atherosclerosis or to chronic brain disease, that is the opportune time to jump in and start the therapeutics that we believe are probably going to work.” Dr Thomas Dayspring
In this episode, we discuss how cholesterol metabolism affects dementia risk. You’ll learn about the fourteen modifiable risk factors for dementia, how cholesterol impacts brain function, and why addressing these factors early can reduce your risk of cognitive decline. We also explore personalised prevention strategies and the role of genetics, including the APOE4 gene, in determining your brain health.
Research suggests that the sooner you start prioritising your brain health, the better, so your interest in this episode is setting you up for success in the future. If you found this episode insightful and think someone you know may benefit from it, please share it with them. Thank you to Dr Niotis and Dr Dayspring for offering their expertise to this important conversation.
Connect with Dr Kellyann Niotis at https://drkellyannniotis.com/ and discover research and resources at https://ind.org/. Connect with Dr Thomas Dayspring on Twitter/X or LinkedIn, and listen to his past appearances on The Proof here.
Highlights:
- Intro (00:00)
- Cardiology Meets Neurology: Understanding the Connection (07:53)
- Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Comprehensive Overview (13:26)
- Recognizing Early Dementia Signs and Risk Factors (21:43)
- Lipoproteins and Brain Health: The Crucial Link (32:36)
- ApoB vs ApoE: Comparing Apoprotein Functions in Neurological Health (44:24)
- APOE4 Carriers: Potential Therapeutic Approaches (01:00:30)
- ApoA1 and HDL: Their Role in Dementia Prevention (01:03:27)
- Genetic Testing for Dementia: Understanding APOE4 Implications (01:13:19)
- APOE4 Gene: Impact on Dementia Risk and Brain Health (01:17:58)
- Desmosterol’s Role in Maintaining Brain Health (01:20:56)
- LDL Cholesterol: A Key Factor in Dementia Risk Assessment (01:34:05)
- APOE4: Comparing Single vs. Double Copy Risk Factors (01:39:15)
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Essential Nutrients for Brain Health (01:38:49)
- LDL Cholesterol Levels: Assessing Low vs. High Risk for Dementia (01:56:50)
- Key Takeaways: Preventive Neurology and Future Research Directions (02:00:10)
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More about Dr Kellyann Niotis
Dr Kellyann Niotis is a preventive- and movement disorders-trained neurologist and currently leads the preventive neurology program within Dr Peter Attia’s medical practice, Early Medical, focused on the applied science of longevity. She also serves as the Director of Parkinson’s Disease & Lewy Body Dementia Prevention Research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases Florida. Previously, she managed the country’s first Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
She completed neurology residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, serving as Chief Resident and the inaugural 2020 McGraw Fellow in Neurology Research. She also completed a movement disorders fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Under the mentorship of Dr Richard Isaacson at Weill Cornell Medicine, she is the country’s first fellowship-trained preventive neurologist. Her work has been published in several peer reviewed journals including Aging and Disease, Neurology, The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, The Journal of the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Seminars in Neurology, Nature Scientific Reports, and Nature Mental Health and her opinions have been featured in several popular media outlets including CNN.
More about Dr Thomas Dayspring
Thomas Dayspring, who resides in the Richmond, VA area is a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the National Lipid Association and is certified in internal medicine, and clinical lipidology. After practicing in New Jersey for 37 years, in 2012 he moved to Virginia and served as an educational director for a nonprofit cardiovascular foundation and later as a Chief Academic Advisor for two major CV laboratories until mid-2019. Currently he is a virtual cardiovascular educational research assistant & clinical lipidologist at a prestigious national practice. Career-wise he has given over 4000 domestic (all 50 states) and international lectures, including over 600 CME programs on atherothrombosis, lipids/lipoproteins (and their treatment), vascular biology, biomarker testing, and women’s cardiovascular issues. He has authored several manuscripts and lipid textbook chapters and performed several podcasts. Until 2019 he was an Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. He was the recipient of the 2011 National Lipid Association’s Presidents Award for services to clinical lipidology. He has over 25K followers on his educational Twitter feed (@Drlipid). He is a Social Media Ambassador for the European Atherosclerosis Society.
