Maria Shriver, the ex-wife of bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, is well known for her battle against Alzheimer’s. But what was the reason that sparked this dedication in Shriver that made her take the fight to the disease? Well, to find that, we need to take a ride back to 2003.

The Austrian Oak’s ex-wife will be featured on the upcoming episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy Podcast. She recently shared a video snippet from the podcast showcasing the part where she started her battle against Alzheimer’s. Let’s find out what actually happened 20 years ago.

The interviewer asked Shriver a prompting question. “People don’t think of preventing Alzheimer’s, they think preventing heart disease?” Shriver, without wasting a second, replied that she had been in Alzheimer’s advocacy for the past 20 years. She revealed that “my dad was diagnosed in 2003.” “Lifestyle was not a part of the conversation when he was diagnosed,” she added.

Since then, as a reporter, she started finding out details about the disease and did proper research to find out what exactly Alzheimer’s was. She explained, “Is it lifestyle connected? Is there anything we’re doing how we live, they say, menopause? I need these things that everybody’s like. No lifestyle has nothing to do with any of this.” Shriver then jumped to recent times, where the whole image of Alzheimer’s has changed. The former journalist mentioned that there has been a “sea change” in the past five years and that “people are saying around half of the cases could have been preventable.”

Earlier, the bodybuilding legend had joined his ex-wife in her battle with Alzheimer’s and shared some dietary changes that can reduce the risk of the disease by up to 30%.

Arnie suggests an addition to your diet 

In the latest edition of Arnie’s newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club, he shared the brain-boosting effects of fish. “To protect your mind, fish might be the ultimate brain food,” wrote Arnie. The Austrian Oak shed light on the fact that eating tuna not only fulfills your nutritional needs but also has a boosting effect on your mental health.

As always, Arnie backed up his claims with research. “Researchers found that eating fish twice per week can help protect against cognitive disorders. One review found that it decreases your likelihood of dementia by 10 percent and reduces your risk of Alzheimer’s by 30 percent,” stated Schwarzenegger.

On the other hand, Shriver has done a wonderful job of bringing Alzheimer’s to the public’s attention. She did campaigns and research that helped a lot, and even now, continues to spread awareness about the disease. Are you doing your part to educate people about Alzheimer’s? Let us know in the comments.