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Best Nutrition for a Fit Brain Majid Fotuhi, MD PhD Vantage House Columbia, MD October 16, 2014
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Objectives Which foods harm the brain and cause atrophy? Which foods boost brain health and make it stronger? 2
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Obesity Shrinks the Brain Associated with reduced brain volume Ward, et al., 2005 Slows cognitive function Debette, et al., 2011 Brains of overweight and obese individuals appeared 8 and 16 years older, respectively Raji, et al., 2010 3 Brain Research Volume 1280, 14 July 2009, Pages 186–194
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Step Away From the Sugar Increases insulin resistance Slows cognitive performance Reduces hippocampal BDNF levels Agrawal & Gomez-Pinilla, 2012. 4 Neurology. 2005 May 24;64(10):1704-11.
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Trash Trans Fats Trans fats typical found in foods such as: - Cookies, crackers, muffins, donuts - Fried foods like French fries, chicken nuggets - Chips and other snack foods Increase the risk of cardiovascular disease -Increases LDL (bad cholesterol) -Decreases HDL (good cholesterol) Linked with brain shrinkage Agrawal & Gomez-Pinilla, 2012 5 Image source: Bantransfats.com
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Alcohol Shrinks the Brain Alcoholics shows significant brain atrophy Jacobson, 1986. Mann, et al., 1992. Heavy drinking is associated with learning and memory problems Nixon, et al., 1995. Women appear to be more susceptible to damage Hommer, et al., 2003. 6 Image source: Lisabauman.blogspot.com
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Objectives Which foods harm the brain and cause atrophy? Which foods boost brain health and make it stronger? 7
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Three Types of Food for Reversing Brain Atrophy with Age 1.Increasing levels of a healing protein: BDNF - BDNF helps with growth of new brain cells 2.Reducing levels of toxic amyloid in the brain - Too much amyloid kills brain cells 3.Increasing blood flow in the brain - Reducing risk of stroke is the best way to keep your brain young 8
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More BDNF: Bigger Hippocampus 9 Erikson, PNAS 2011
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Food That Increase BDNF Levels Omega-3 Fatty Acids: DHA and EPA Vitamin D Rich Foods Cocoa Blue Berries Grapes Caffeine 10
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More DHA-EPA: Bigger Hippocampus 11 Pottala J V et al. Neurology 2014;82:435-442
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Good Sources of DHA: 12
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Foods That Reduce Levels of Amyloid in the Brain Curcumin Walnuts Pomegranates 13
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Foods That Increase Blood Flow to the Brain Tomatoes Avocados Beets Vitamin B12 14 Image source: Good housekeeping.com
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Vitamin B12 Improves blood flow to the brain Low levels are linked to smaller size of hippocampus Increases cognitive function and processing speed Reduces risk of inflammation, stroke and heart attack Ho, et al., 2011.; den Heijer, et al., 2003.; Firbank, et al., 2010. 15
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Best Brain Diet Low Carb - No white rice - No white bread - Just a touch of cakes High protein - 1-2 lean meats/week - 1-2 salmon a week Lots of fruits and vegetables Plenty of water DHA supplements 16
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Physical Activity and Mediterranean Diet, More Effective Together Scarmeas et al., JAMA 302 (6):627–37, 2009 Scarmeas et al, 2009 17
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18 Diabetes Hypertension Obesity Sleep Apnea Head Trauma Genes Stress Brain-healthy Diet Physical Fitness Cognitive Stimulation Meditation
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THANK YOU! INFO@NEUREXPAND.COM 443-842-6333 19 10700 Charter Drive Columbia, MD 21044
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