Episode 660: Can You Prevent Alzheimer's? Brain Health, Sleep, Hormones & Lifestyle with Marianne Whitaker, RNEpisode 660: Can You Prevent Alzheimer's? Brain Health, Sleep, Hormones & Lifestyle with Marianne Whitaker, RN
Busy Living Sober with Host Elizabeth Chance
Elizabeth Chance talks with nurse and Alzheimer’s advocate Marianne Whitaker about genetic risk, lifestyle factors, sleep, hormones and toxins that may affect long-term brain health. The conversation links sobriety, mindset and small daily changes to the possibility of reducing future cognitive decline.
51:17•30 Jul 2026
Brain Health, Sobriety and Small Changes: Marianne Whitaker on Alzheimer’s Risk
Episode Overview
- Mindset and gratitude are key starting points for anyone worried about Alzheimer’s or already facing addiction recovery.
- Good quality sleep supports the brain’s glymphatic system, which helps clear toxic waste including amyloid plaque.
- Lifestyle choices such as diet, reducing plastics and toxins, managing stress and treating hearing loss can influence Alzheimer’s risk.
- Loss of smell can appear years before memory problems, and consistent olfactory training may support memory and learning.
- Research suggests a significant proportion of Alzheimer’s cases may be impacted by modifiable lifestyle factors rather than genetics alone.
“You cannot build Rome in a day. It is brick by brick.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and still worry about their brain decades from now? This conversation between host Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance and registered nurse Marianne Whitaker speaks straight to that mix of fear, hope and responsibility. Marianne, founder of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Project, shares how a family history of dementia and her own APOE4 gene variant pushed her from “reactive” neurology nursing into prevention.
After her dad’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis at 67, she realised, “Prevention is possible… this starts 20, 30 years before,” and made it her mission to “shout from the mountaintop” that lifestyle matters. You’ll hear why mindset is more than a motivational slogan; Marianne calls willpower “a metabolic resource” and explains how chronic stress and poor sleep can shut down the very part of the brain that helps with self-control – something that hits home for anyone in recovery.
She urges people to start small: “You cannot build Rome in a day. It is brick by brick,” whether that’s changing your sheets, reducing plastics, or finally taking sleep seriously. One of the most fascinating sections looks at smell and brain health. Marianne talks about the olfactory bulb’s direct link to memory centres, how loss of smell can precede cognitive symptoms by years, and a study where simple olfactory enrichment with essential oils improved memory and learning by 226%.
She ties this to everyday risks like untreated hearing loss, sleep apnoea, hormone changes in women, and our heavy exposure to microplastics. Elizabeth brings in her own long-term sobriety, ADHD worries, and frustration with pill-focused healthcare, creating a candid bridge between addiction recovery and long-term brain wellness. Together, they show that genetics and history don’t have to dictate the future – especially for those already doing the hard work to stay sober.
If you’re sober, sober-curious, or supporting someone in recovery and worried about Alzheimer’s, what’s one small change you’re ready to make for your brain today?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.