Preventing Cognitive Decline: Brain Health, Nutrition, and Early Intervention with Emer Sexton, Neuro Nourish Clinic

Ep 55: Today’s conversation on Alimentary! comes at a critical moment for brain health. Dementia is now one of the fastest‑growing public health challenges worldwide, with Alzheimer’s disease a leading cause. In Ireland, an estimated 64,000 people are currently living with dementia — a number expected to rise to approximately 150,000 by 2045 as our population continues to age.The scale is even more striking in the United States, where more than 7.2 million people aged 65 and over are living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2025 — around one in nine older adults — with projections nearing 13 million by 2050. What’s becoming increasingly clear, however, and deeply hopeful, is that dementia is not inevitable.I’m delighted to be joined today by Emer Sexton, neuronutritionist and founder of NeuroNourish Clinic, based at the Cavan Digital Hub. NeuroNourish is a specialised brain health clinic focused on early cognitive support and dementia prevention.Emer’s work combines clinical data, cognitive testing, and structured behavioural intervention to identify and reduce the early drivers of cognitive decline — long before symptoms become established. Crucially, her approach addresses a significant gap in current healthcare systems: the continuous monitoring of cognitive risk, alongside personalised, data‑driven intervention over time.Built on Emer’s own personal journey of recovery, NeuroNourish is driven by a clear and empowering mission — to provide clarity, structure, and control over long‑term brain health.This conversation is particularly relevant for anyone beginning to think more seriously about their cognitive future, whether due to family history, subtle changes, or simply a desire to take a proactive approach.In this episode, we explore Emer’s story, the science behind neuronutrition, and what a structured, long‑term approach to protecting brain health can truly look like in practice.Emer SextonFollow On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/neuronourish_clinic/https://cavandigitalhub.ie/2026/03/23/new-member-spotlight-neuronourish/https://www.anglocelt.ie/2026/03/06/mind-matters-cavan-woman-retrains-the-brain/Referenceshttps://alzheimer.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Plain-Language-Summary-The-Experience-of-Dementia-in-Ireland-2023.pdfhttps://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figureshttps://dementia.ie/topic/dementia-by-numbers/https://theworlddata.com/alzheimer-disease-statistics-in-us/https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/blog/targeting-14-lifestyle-factors-may-prevent-up-to-45-of-dementia-caseshttps://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/news/nearly-half-of-global-dementia-cases-could-be-prevented-or-delayed-by-addressing-14-health-and-lifestyle-factors-says-new-report/Sardines Recipes https://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/19181/ingredients/fish-seafood/fish/sardines/The Encylopaedia of Healing Foods by Dr Michael Murray, Dr Joseph Pizzorno with Lara Pizzorno MA, LMTMusic composed by cascreativearts, copyright Lyn Sharkey Nutrition. Lyn's website https://www.lynsharkeynutrition.ie/