Cognitive Decline Expert: The Disease That Starts in Your 30s but Kills You in Your 70s

TL;DR

Alzheimer's disease is largely preventable (95% of cases) through lifestyle interventions, not genetics. It begins in your 30s but only shows symptoms in your 60s–70s; women are at disproportionately higher risk due to menopause-related estrogen decline.

Key insights

• Alzheimer's is a disease of midlife: it starts in the 30s, but the first symptoms appear in the late 60s–70s.
• 95% of Alzheimer's cases could have been prevented; only ~3% are driven by rare genetic mutations (presenilin 1 & 2, amyloid precursor protein).
• Being a woman is itself a risk factor, independent of longevity. 70% of current patients are women.