Dr. Gary Steinberg: How to Improve Brain Health & Offset Neurodegeneration

Some of the patients I see are not just smokers but indulge in other drugs. So cocaine, methamphetamines largely increase the risk of developing these aneurysms or developing hemorrhage, bursting of a blood vessel.

Smoking is a very high risk factor for developing clots, which can lead to strokes, heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease. High lipids is another.

The brain represents only 2% of the body weight, yet it draws 15% of the total blood flow. And remarkably, it consumes 20% of the body's oxygen ... I still think the brain is the most important organ.

Some studies have suggested that taking statins reduces the risk of cognitive decline, including conditions like Alzheimer's.

Stroke is like a heart attack of the brain ... About 87% of strokes are due to a clot, either forming in the brain artery itself or forming closer to the heart—in the heart or in the corded artery—and dislodging and blocking blood flow to the brain.