Good morning. It’s Tuesday, July 15th.

In today’s email:

• Learn: Brain Health

• Try: Juggling

• In the News: Oxytocin in New Ways

• Cook: Roasted Chickpea, Avocado and Cucumber Salad

• Brain Games: Kyudoku

Stat of the Day

The lifetime risk of dementia in the United States after age 55 - much higher than previously reported. (National Institute of Health)

Learn

Brain Health

We just had a close family friend pass away from dementia. It’s one of the most devastating diseases that takes away life well before our last breath.

I want to do everything in my power to lower the risk of brain disease - for myself and the people I love.

Let’s first acknowledge that some risk factors are out of our control.

• Women have 2x the risk of Alzheimer’s compared to men. This is due to hormonal changes, living longer, and possibly different inflammation factors. So women need to be even more proactive to protect their brain.

• APOE4 carriers are more vulnerable to dementia-related diseases.

Despite the increasing prevalence of brain disease (see Stat of the Day), there is good news - we have a lot of power to reduce our own risks.

It’s not just doing NYTimes Connections (or Thrive25 Brain Games) and taking fish oil (though that too does help).

It means being diligent in taking care of your metabolic health, making health part of your daily routine, and creating an environment that doesn’t poison your brain.

The Metabolic-Brain Health Connection

The absolute biggest lever is optimizing our metabolic health.

Cognitive decline is not just about age - it’s about metabolic dysfunction. It might not seem like there’s a direct connection, but the risks of brain disease go up exponentially when our body isn’t in good shape:

• Type 2 Diabetes increases dementia risk by ~50%.
  For every 5 years with diabetes, risk goes up another ~25%.

• Hypertension (high blood pressure) is linked to a ~60% higher risk of dementia.

• Even people with the APOE4 gene can dramatically reduce their risk if they don’t develop diabetes. The increased risk? 5.5x higher - only if they’re also diabetic.

Note: There’s also mixed evidence around LDL cholesterol and dementia risk. Some studies suggest a link, others show it’s not as strong as once thought.

So with all that - here’s the Thrive25 Brain Health Protocol:

Metabolic Diet

The goal is to eat so that you avoid obesity and insulin resistance (diabetes). Basically that means - don’t overeat, eat real food, and avoid too much sugar and sweets.

The Mediterranean diet has been show to stave off dementia.

Bonus: go big on top anti-inflammatory foods - top of the list includes:

• Blueberries

• Spinach

• Salmon

• Turmeric

• Olive oil

• Walnuts

Or check out these 10 Superfoods.

Exercise as Medicine

Movement boosts BDNF, IGF-1, and improves blood flow to the brain.

Regular physical activity = 40% lower dementia risk. Resistance training shows a huge boost.

But the best recipe is to do everything - Zone 2, High Intensity, and Lifting Weights.

Sleep

Won’t be surprising to any of our loyal readers - but sleep is huge for brain health. Getting less than 5 hours is linked to over 2x the Alzheimer’s risk.

Everyone is different - but 7-9 hours is typical for most people and sleeping for 85%+ the time you’re in bed is a good metric for higher quality (not just laying in bed - actually catching some ZZZ’s).

See our Thrive25 SLEEP Guide.

Stress Management

Chronic cortisol shrinks the hippocampus. Plus, it messes with our hormone levels - another predictor of brain disease.

It’s not just about meditation, soft gazes, nature walks, and breathing exercises - but those are all great tools (long-term meditation has been shown to make brains biologically younger by ~6 years).

It’s also about NOT living most of your life in fight or flight mode.

Brain Stimulation

Yes - those puzzles are good for you. But it’s also learning new skills, playing music, and doing work that matters to you.

All of this increases our neuroplasticity - basically how the synapses in our brain communicate. The more connections the better.

Avoid Toxins

Our brain is really susceptible to poisons, especially - pesticides, PFAS (forever chemicals in nonstick pans, sofas, plastics), cigarette smoke, mold.

Don’t forget the heavy metals (like mercury and lead) and even air quality in your home and office.

If you think you’ve been exposed to any of these (umm…that’s all of us) - make sure to get tested and detox from these toxins.

Supplements

Peter Attia calls supplements “worrying about sunscreen when your boat is sinking.”

It’s the last five percent of what to do and in no way a substitute for the list above. You can’t supplement your way out of a bad diet or sitting around all day.

But the most essential supplements for your brain - Omega-3 and Vitamin D. Some others to consider - Magnesium l-threonate, creatine, turmeric, and possibly astaxanthin.

Bonus: oral health matters. Recall when we talked about how gum inflammation is highly correlated with brain health - make sure you’re brushing and flossing every day.

So which one are you going to focus on this week??

Want to read more?

Check out Dr. Dale Bredesen’s new book, “The Ageless Brain.”

Try

Juggling

I get it - it might not sound serious. But juggling is actually one of the most powerful tools for brain health that we never think about.

Just 10 minutes a day is enough to unlock surprising cognitive benefits.

Take it from Carlos Alcaraz, one of the best tennis players on the planet. Juggling is part of his regular training - helping him with timing, coordination, and focus. (Yes, he just lost the Wimbledon final, but come on… he’s still a beast at only 22.)

Your brain is made up of grey matter (responsible for memory, movement, and emotion) and white matter (which connects different brain regions so they can communicate efficiently).

Research shows that juggling can actually increase grey matter in areas related to:

• Visual processing

• Motor coordination

• Anticipation and spatial awareness

But the best part? It’s not being good at juggling that rewires your brain — it’s the learning process itself.

In fact, one study found that people who practiced juggling 30 minutes a day for six weeks showed increased white matter in regions tied to motor function and peripheral vision. (Nature Neuroscience)

So grab three tennis balls, find a quiet corner, and grow your brain (and impress your kids).

Thrive25 Partner Spotlight

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This is the tool we built for ourselves - because we wanted a smarter, simpler way to feel great today and stay active with our families tomorrow.

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H&L in the News

Boost Bliss Without Hugs: Craving connection? Singing, petting your dog, meditation, kind acts, massage, scents, and exercise can naturally boost oxytocin - your body’s stress-fighting, mood-lifting “love hormone.” More on Oxytocin. (Washington Post)

Rainier Rumbles, But Don’t Run: Mount Rainier just had its most intense earthquake swarm ever - nearly 400 quakes in 3 days. Scientists say it’s normal seismic activity, not a sign of eruption. Here's why it matters. (Outside)

Generalists - The New Unicorns: From Apple to OpenAI, generalists drive innovation, resilience, and foresight. Discover six superpowers that make them indispensable in today’s fast-moving, complexity-rich work environments. (Big Think)

Cook

Roasted Chickpea, Avocado and Cucumber Salad

This bright, flavor-packed salad is a Thrive25 favorite - perfect for a quick, nourishing meal. Creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, and antioxidant-rich herbs meet fiber-filled roasted chickpeas, tangy feta, and a zesty lemon vinaigrette. The chickpeas take 50 mins to roast, but the salad itself comes together in under 10.

Pro tip: roast the chickpeas ahead to make this a 10-minute weeknight win! 🥗🥒🥑

Brain Games

Kyudoku

This one is a 4/5 on the difficulty scale, so block a few minutes for this puzzle!

Kyudoku is a 6x6 grid where you need to use logic to find nine unique numbers (1 to 9) so that each row and column has a sum of 9 or less. The 5 highlighted in yellow is given.

Here’s a little help to get started. Because we know 5 is given, we can’t use 5 again (gray boxes) and we can also eliminate any numbers that would make the sum of the row or column with the given 1 more than 9 (blue boxes). Again, this is a little tougher - good luck!

Credit: Brainzilla

** For answer, scroll to the bottom of the email

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Brain Games Answer

We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.

This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

To health!