Maria Shriver’s Shocking Warning: The One Brain Health Secret Every Woman Is Ignoring—And Why It Could Change Your Life Forever
Let’s cut to the chase — when was the last time you thought seriously about your brain health? If your answer is “huh, not really,” you’re definitely not alone. We all obsess over those pap smears and mammograms, and sure, menopause symptoms get their share of airtime. But here’s a wild thought: what good is ticking all the traditional health boxes if your brain’s checked out early? It’s kind of like owning a Ferrari but never bothering to change the oil. Maria Shriver—yep, the powerhouse journalist and women’s health advocate—knows this all too well. After watching her brilliant father battle Alzheimer’s, she flipped the script on brain health awareness and demanded a rewrite for how women’s brain health gets talked about and cared for. So, buckle up because this isn’t your usual health spiel; it’s a wake-up call to be your own brain’s biggest advocate—and trust me, it’s a story you’re gonna want to be front and center in. LEARN MORE
4 min readWhen you think of traditional topics relating to women’s health, you might consider the wealth of info you’ve heard about how to deal with menopause symptoms or when to schedule your next pap smear or mammogram. But one area of your health should be much more top of mind, literally: brain health.
It’s a topic that Maria Shriver—journalist, author, and women’s health advocate—has advocated for over the past two decades after her father, Sargent Shriver, the Former United States Ambassador to France, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease back in 2003.
“This was the most intelligent human being I had ever met—this was the mind behind the Peace Corps, the war on poverty, Head Start, Job Corps, legal services for the aid,” she told Women’s Health executive editor Abigail Cuffey at the Women’s Health Lab on Monday. “The idea that this brain had come up with all of these things and now couldn’t decide what a fork was, or who I was, was extraordinary to me.”
During the Women’s Health Lab panel, “Would You Want to Know? Maria Shriver on Brain Health and Prevention,” Maria—a paid partner with Eli Lilly and Company—shared what inspired her to learn about Alzheimer’s, practical tips for keeping your brain healthy, and why it’s important for every woman to be her own health advocate and to write her own health story.
After her father’s diagnosis, Maria wanted to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, and approached the process ‘like a journalist.’
She asked doctors and researchers every question she had, including its causes, which they said were natural; that Alzheimer’s developed due to aging, from plaques and amyloid building up over time. When Maria asked how it impacts women versus men, they said it didn’t at all—and that there was nothing anyone could do to prevent Alzheimer’s. Those answers “felt out of date—they felt like they need to be rewritten,” she said.
As the First Lady of California, she was running a large women’s conference and added brain health programming to it. Maria began hearing from women all across the state about how much dementia and Alzheimer’s were affecting their lives and their female family members. Suspecting that the disease disproportionately impacted women, she partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association. Eventually, research showed that two-thirds of those who get it are women, and no one knew before because studies hadn’t been done on women.
Maria was angry—and for good reason. “Righteous anger is a very powerful emotion, and everybody who has changed the world has had it,” she said. “I wanted to change the story around Alzheimer’s. I wanted to put women in the story—I wanted to put them front and center.” So, she founded the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at the Cleveland Clinic to fund research for women’s brains and get the care they deserve.
Maria Shriver and Abigail Cuffey at the 2026 Women’s Health Lab in New York City
At the WH Lab, she shared some proactive ways to take care of your brain health.
“Anybody with a brain” should be on top of their brain health, Maria said. She recommended exercising, eating well, prioritizing sleep, avoiding being sedentary, and limiting alcohol. Also, “don’t just stop learning,” she said, and pour time into your social connections. “Friendships really are good for your brain.”
Additionally, talk to your brain positively, as if you can see it. “The brain cannot distinguish between what is real and what is a lie,” Maria said. “So if you’re telling your brain all day long, ‘You didn’t perform, you suck, you didn’t do this,’” then you may start to believe it. So, nourish your brain with kinder thoughts. “I know that maybe sounds a little bit funky, but if you don’t, no one else is going to,” she added.
If you want to become a deeper part of the conversation on women’s brain health, you can also help fund research or even get involved in trials. “There are a lot of really cool trials going on now for people who have no signs of Alzheimer’s or cognitive impairment that you can participate in,” she noted.
Maria encourages women to advocate for their health, especially when it comes to their brains.
As she watched her mother struggle with getting answers from doctors about her health throughout her life, she realized that this was a bigger fight affecting women of all backgrounds. The responses that doctors gave her mother minimized not only her, but also had effects on “her marriage, on her children, her work, her life,” Maria said, adding that it’s very hard “to parent, to partner, to provide, to caretake if you don’t have your health. It’s impossible, actually.”
Now, research shows that 45 percent of Alzheimer’s cases can be prevented or delayed if you adopt a brain-healthy lifestyle. “That’s an empowering place to be, as opposed to a powerless place to be,” which was what the conversation about Alzheimer’s used to be like, she said.
So, if you’re being told something about your health that doesn’t sit right with you, don’t be afraid to challenge it and be your own advocate. “You will be told stories that need to be rewritten in every area of your life,” Maria said. But also, keep having conversations with your doctor, friends, and family about brain health.
Maria hopes to change the narrative around women’s health, and make it more holistic, which includes thinking about your noggin. “Knowledge is powerful,” she said. “We’re on the brink of possibility and I’m really excited about that. Make sure every conversation in your place of business that’s about women’s health includes the brain.”
The 3rd annual Women’s Health Lab was hosted by Hearst Magazines in partnership with Northwell’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health. Lilly served as title sponsor, with additional sponsors including Altra, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ipsen, L’Oreal Paris, Organic Valley and WaterWipes.
Addison Aloian is the associate health & fitness editor at Women’s Health, where she writes and edits across the health, weight loss, and fitness verticals. She’s also a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). In her free time, you can find her lifting weights at the gym, running on the West Side Highway in New York City—she recently completed her first marathon, the 2025 New York City Marathon—and watching (and critiquing!) the latest movies that have garnered Oscars buzz. In addition to Women’s Health, she’s made an appearance on the Oprah Podcast and her work has also appeared in Allure, StyleCaster, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, VMAN, and more.
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