Cognitive Reawakening - 'cause decline ain't an option

09/22/2023

09/21/2023

An Eating Plan for Brain Health

(Episode 4 of 4) Doctor Dale Bredesen’s Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age, “The End of Alzheimer’s Program” - (Part 2: The Protocol & KetoFLEX 12/3)

Dr. Bredesen’s book, “The End of Alzheimer’s Program,” turned my life around by revealing the astounding fact that cognitive decline did not necessarily need to end with Alzheimer’s. In fact, there are absolutely things we can do to slow down, or even reverse the decline. His protocol addresses 7 aspects of lifestyle that are its foundational strategies:

🌟 Nutrition - Eat a nutrient-dense diet that emphasizes colorful, non-starchy vegetables, adequate protein and generous healthy fats.

🌟 Movement - This increases cerebral blood flow and brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF), improves oxygenation and overall brain and body physiology in numerous ways.

🌟 Sleep - Restorative sleep is vital for memory consolidation and to clear cerebral toxins, including amyloid plaque. It also promotes metabolic health, reduces inflammation, and up-regulates the immune system.

🌟 Stress Reduction - Stress is associated with inflammation and decreased neural regeneration. This protocol encourages the development of stress management habits such as mindfulness, meditation, breathing techniques, yoga, tai chi or others you prefer.

🌟 Brain Stimulation - Stimulate neuronal growth by staying mentally and socially active.

🌟 Detoxification - Ensure that the air you breathe, the water you drink, the home you live in, the food you eat, and the toiletries, cosmetics, and cleaning supplies that you use are as toxin-free as possible.

🌟 Supplementation - This is important if you’re suffering from a nutritional deficiency that affects your cognitive health.

The program’s title, KetoFLEX 12/3, refers to its design meant to trigger and maintain metabolic flexibility. If you've read my earlier posts in this series, you may remember that cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s are often linked with an inability to effectively use glucose as brain fuel. It’s important to help our bodies regain the ability to use ketones when this happens.

👉 “Keto” refers to these Ketones. Each of the strategies above encourages their formation, which the brain can easily use as alternate fuel.

👉 "FLEX” refers to metabolic flexibility; the ability to use either glucose or ketones as fuel. The goal is to regain this state and optimize the brain’s fuel supply.

👉 “12/3” refers to the fasting period that begins at least 3 hours before bedtime and lasts for a total of at least 12 hours daily. This encourages autophagy, the vital cellular “housekeeping” that occurs as your body cleans out damaged cells to recreate newer ones.

Each of these strategies alone will promote brain healing and encourage the growth of new neurons and synaptic connections. When practiced together, however, they are particularly powerful and make a significant difference in my memory, brain fog, and energy. Dr. Bredesen’s book is a detailed, step-by-step guide to implementing and succeeding in each of these areas (link in the comments). My own copy is marked up and well-loved. 💖

Sources:

“The Bredesen Seven”
https://www.apollohealthco.com/the-bredesen-seven/

“Not Your Daddy’s Keto”
https://www.apollohealthco.com/not-your-daddys-keto/

“The End of Alzheimer’s Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age,” by Dale Bredesen, MD

09/20/2023

It's Which One Wednesday! 🥳
I vary between an A and a D. 😁

09/15/2023

An Eating Plan for Brain Health 🥑

(Episode 3 of 4) The Magic of Ketones, Part 2

🛑 You'll get the most out of this post by reading the previous one. There, I introduce the concept that ketone bodies produced from fat burning can be used for energy when glucose is unavailable or difficult to access.

But, how DO we help our bodies make this transition? 🤔

🌟 A book that has helped me tremendously is, “The End of Alxheimer’s Program; The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline at Any Age,” by Dale E. Bredesen, MD. If you have any concerns at all about your cognition, it’s a very valuable resource to have on your shelf.

🔑 The key lies in our diet. By consuming fewer carbs and more healthy fats, we can induce a state called 'ketosis', where our bodies predominantly burn fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. As I mentioned in the previous post, the burning of fat produces ketones, and ketones are readily accessible to the brain even if glucose is not.

An additional way to encourage ketosis is by fasting; even a mild fast. After about 12-16 hours, your body will have used up most of its glucose and glycogen stores (glycogen is the storage form of glucose). Once these are depleted, your body begins breaking down stored fat into molecules called fatty acids. Some of these fatty acids are further converted into ketone bodies which serve as the new source of energy.

Sometimes, achieving actual ketosis can be difficult. Both stress and lack of sleep raise cortisol, and cortisol increases blood sugar levels and reduces ketone production. There’s also a fine line between consuming the protein your body needs to preserve muscle mass and fuel red blood cells… and lowering protein intake enough to induce ketosis. 🙃

This is something to be especially careful about, particularly as we age. If you’ve decreased protein levels, It’s important to increase muscle-building exercises such as resistance training and overall body movement. I’ve included a wonderful routine for seniors and beginners in the sources section below. You can easily pick up a resistance band through amazon.

It’s almost impossible to KNOW if your body is in ketosis without a special breath or blood monitor, but you’ll probably begin to notice positive changes after about a week. Clearer thinking and concentration are common. Your blood sugar might begin dropping, and you may release some weight. An increase in energy is typical as well. 🤗

Since the beginning of this year (2023), I’ve made a significant (not perfect) effort to maintain a low carb diet and follow a fasting schedule. In those periods of time when I’m most successful, I absolutely reap the benefits of clearer thinking, better memory and word retrieval, and increased energy. 💖

I’ll tell you about it in part 4 of this series.

Sources:

“Ketosis”
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24003-ketosis

“30 MIN RESISTANCE BAND WORKOUT for Beginners, Seniors;
Elastic Exercise Band Workout”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXCgbas25gw