Enhancing Brain Health

Recently Women's Health Practitioner, Mary Kay Bartlett, and Clinical Nutritionist, Abby Kurth attended a conference given by neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter. As healthy brains are something that we all would like to have, they have agreed to share some of the information from that conference.

Inflammation is not a friend of the brain as it activates cells within the brain tissue called microglia. When inflammation is present, so are inflammatory chemicals that lead to formation of the amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangles seen so often in Alzheimer's Disease. Inflammation has been implicated in virtually all brain dysfunctions - Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia, etc.

Research has shown that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines and aspirin are capable of decreasing the risk of Parkinson's Disease by 45%, but are there more natural ways to gain this protection? Nature provides protection of the brain through substances that will stimulate certain cell receptors (called PPARS) to decrease inflammation. In fact many diabetes medications target these same receptors to treat diabetes. One compound known to activate these PPARS receptors and thus decrease inflammation is DHA - a component of the omega-3 fatty acids.

Another protective mechanism that works by activating our genes in a positive way is called Nuclear Factor (erythroid derived)2 or Nrf2, which upregulates antioxidant response in response to oxidative stress. Some of the Nrf2 activators are:

• Caloric Restriction - Reducing calories by 25% helps brain health- it turns out the brain likes to fast sometimes. New brain cells will be stimulated to grow with calorie restriction, and memory improvements are seen in obese patients with calorie restriction alone. In reverse, obesity and a high waist to hip ratio were associated with greater risk of Parkinson's disease
• Curcumin - The spice found in curry and derived from tumeric was found to reduce Alzheimer's amyloid plaque in mice.
• Resveratrol - We are used to thinking of this as an anti-aging compound and turns out it keeps the brain young as well
• Sulforaphane - This is a component of broccoli that is concentrated in a supplement we use called OncoPLEX and will also be in a new supplement called Nrf2 Activator.
• Coffee - Yes, you're reading this right. Coffee is helpful for the brain, but, like all things, in moderation.

Here are several lifestyle factors that may be used to keep your brain healthy:

• Exercising 20 minutes a day was found to increase cognition and decrease risk of Parkinson's Disease
• Keep your gut healthy by adding healthy flora (acidophilus, etc.) and avoiding gluten if this is an issue for you
• Get lots of anti-oxidant protection through food or quality supplements (vitamins A, C, E, D, and beta-carotene, glutathione, and CoQ10), especially if you are the APOE 4 genetic type, which has a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.
• Get mental exercise
• Make sure you are sleeping well
• Avoid emotional stress
• Stay away from pesticides and other toxins

Remember, what you do with your lifestyle will impact how well you remember what you do.  Think about it!