# Two-thirds of Alzheimer's diagnoses are women

> Maria Shriver on why brain health belongs in your thirties, not just your seventies.
- Title: Two-thirds of Alzheimer's diagnoses are women · TIME
- Summary: Maria Shriver on why brain health belongs in your thirties, not just your seventies. Start protecting your brain decades before symptoms, with sleep…
- Keywords: brain health, alzheimer's, women's health, menopause, maternal mental health, Two-thirds, diagnoses, women, TIME
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/collection/time100-leadership-forums/2026/keynote-the-fight-for-women-s-brain-health
- Published: 2026-09-11T02:52:15+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brain health, alzheimer's, women's health, menopause, maternal mental health
## Most women don't know
Only one in five women know they face higher Alzheimer's risk than men. Shriver wants the fitness conversation about living longer to include what's happening above the neck.

> When people talk about living longer, you're seeing a lot about people in the gym. But what about their brains?
## It started with her father
When her father was diagnosed in 2003, almost nothing existed to help families understand what was coming. Shriver went at it as both a journalist and a daughter.
## Everyone grieves differently
Her kids accepted the grandfather in front of them. Shriver struggled to match him to her memory. Her mother was losing a spouse and a confidant.
## Menopause is one open question
Researchers are studying how the brain shifts during menopause and whether treating that window lowers risk. Whether hormone therapy helps is still unsettled.

> There's more to women's health than menopause.
## Maternal mental health, out loud
Shriver points to the Lindsay Clancy trial, which ended in a mistrial over a postpartum psychosis defense, as a sign women are finally trading these stories openly.

> The fact that we're talking about postpartum depression... represents a huge advancement in my lifetime.
## No overhaul required
Exercise, sleep, a decent diet, real social connection and mental engagement all move the needle. Shriver meditates twice a day, and admits that would have sounded absurd when her four kids were small.

> You're out of your mind. Go away. I didn't even go to the bathroom.
## Key takeaway

Start protecting your brain decades before symptoms, with sleep, movement, connection and stress relief rather than a life overhaul.