Hello Everyone: Here is more great info on how food impacts our brain health and our ability to avoid dementia. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2293082 Conclusions and Relevance: In an older population, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts was associated with improved composite measures of cognitive function. While this study looked at our older population, the same holds true for any age. But what is the real traditional Mediterranean Diet? Mediterranean Diet? • The more traditional Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) associated with health improvements is characterized by: - Limited intake of animal-derived and processed foods - Consumption of a variety of plant-based foods (fruit, vegetables, some breads, and other whole-    grain cereals, pulses, nuts, and seeds), wine, and ... Read more

Hello everyone: This is the last of this series, and the science shows that the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) does indeed damage the brain: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666312005144 Their premise is simple: “Animal work over the last three decades has generated a convincing body of evidence that a Western diet – one high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates (HFS diet) – can damage various brain systems. In this review we examine whether there is evidence for this in humans, using converging lines of evidence from neuropsychological, epidemiological and neuroimaging data.” And what did they conclude: ► This review examines the impact of HFS diets on the human brain. ► HFS diets impair several aspects of cognition and damage associated brain areas. ► HFS diets may cause such damage via several established mechanisms. ► HFS ... Read more

Hello again everyone: Our brain is a sensory-based organ, and that means that it requires environmental stimulation through the senses in order to function properly and optimally. We have 5 senses that deliver a constant stream of information to our brain that give the central nervous system the information that it requires to control, coordinate and regulate all of our systems to keep us healthy. As it turns out, the only constant stimulation to our brain is…well…it is NOT seeing, hearing, taste, smell or touch…but it is the constant stimulation from gravity that gives our brain a baseline level of excitation. Gravity is a major brain food, and a lack of stimulation to our gravity sensing systems that results from sitting and other sedentary activities has a significant negative impact on all of our brain functions, from cognitive abilities to mood control and memory. The hippocampus ... Read more

Hello again one and all: This time of year is particularly dedicated to giving thanks and expressing gratitude. It turns out that receiving and expressing gratitude can have surprising positive health benefits. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19349637.2015.957610 “This study examines the influence of gratitude on physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being. First, we describe what gratitude is and review the most representative psychological studies dealing with gratitude, focusing on the implications of gratitude for health…... The present study shows that an increase in the feeling of and disposition towards gratitude can favor well-being and personal health.” Bottom Line: By making a habit of expressing gratitude we can uplift ourselves, and our entire social network. A great way to develop the gratitude habit is with a simple gratitude journal. The ... Read more

Hello everyone: As we continue on in discussing that what we eat is critical to brain health, vegetables (and fruits) are standouts necessities for maintaining and creating a healthy brain. Many people, and I mean MANY people, simply do not eat enough vegetables. Read more

Hello everyone: There are just certain ‘foods’ available today that simply do not support a healthy brain and body…and sugar is one of those things. When consumed in the amounts that the typical Standard American Diet allows, it is proven to be harmful. The rule is: avoid any foods with added sugars. Here is a link to a great article about the multiple impairments caused by sugar on the brain: https://www.verywellmind.com/how-sugar-affects-the-brain-4065218 Hey…what about artificial sweeteners? Well, the news is actually worse. https://neurogal.com/neuro-blog/2018/12/29/are-artificial-sweeteners-toxic-to-the-brain http://mattioli1885journals.com/index.php/progressinnutrition/article/view/5901 All of the above links are thoroughly referenced. Here is a quote from the paper above: “Therefore, the present article review aimed to summarize the results of most relevant ... Read more

Hello again one and all: Brain death by diet is no laughing matter. In this short series I will highlight how you can protect your ability to think, remember, figure stuff out, feel love and compassion, ease depression and anxiety and protect all of the things that our brain does by simply eating in the best possible way. https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2019/10/23/WNL.0000000000008464 This paper shows how consuming trans fats contributes to dementia. It is important to remember that almost all cases of dementia will start slowly and progress from brain fog to dementia in a fairly predictable manner. In previous newsletters we have gone over how this is not a black and white process, but it is about how we transition from white (normal healthy brain function) through grey (fog, subjective cognitive decline and the early signs of cognitive decline) to black (dementia). This ... Read more

Hello again everyone: If you are a parent, and mostly see the top of your children’s heads because they are buried in their screens, then this bit of information may give you some leverage to limit screen time. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2751330?guestAccessKey=71cfa149-93ea-4c46-a30a-23fbe8653f1a&utm_content=weekly_highlights&utm_term=101919&utm_source=silverchair&utm_campaign=jama_network&cmp=1&utm_medium=email Conclusions and Relevance: Findings from this study suggest that each screen-based activity should be analyzed individually for its association with academic performance, particularly television viewing and video game playing, which appeared to be the activities most negatively associated with academic outcomes. Education and public health professionals should consider supervision and reduction to improve the academic performance of ... Read more

Hello everyone: Here is a paper that explores the link between plastic exposure and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can be mild, and slowly progress to pre-diabetes and full-blown Type 2 Diabetes, and it now appears that our exposure to plastics is partly to blame. In my practice, I do see people with pre-diabetes and insulin resistance who improve their food plans by eliminating sugar and processed foods, and normally this will improve their blood sugar and insulin resistance markers, including their weight. However, in quite a few people, dietary changes are not adequate and they must stop their exposure to plastics. This exposure can also lead to Metabolic Syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that appear together and create negative health risks: excess abdominal fat; elevated cholesterol; high blood pressure; elevated blood sugar; elevated triglyceride levels. Check ... Read more