The Six Pillars of Brain Health | Dylan Wint, MD

00:43:18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amc9u3iy_jM

الملخص

TLDRIn this episode of the Health Essentials podcast, host John Horton and psychiatrist Dr. Dylan Wint discuss the significance of brain health and how to maintain it through six key pillars: physical activity, mental activity, social engagement, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and overall physical health. Dr. Wint explains how these factors can reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The conversation highlights the interconnectedness of these pillars and emphasizes that small, manageable lifestyle changes can lead to significant improvements in brain health and cognitive function over time. Listeners are encouraged to take control of their brain health by making informed choices in their daily lives.

الوجبات الجاهزة

  • 🧠 A healthy brain is essential for a fulfilling life.
  • 🏃‍♂️ Regular physical activity boosts brain health.
  • 🗣️ Social interactions are crucial for cognitive performance.
  • 🥗 Nutrition plays a key role in brain function.
  • 😴 Quality sleep is vital for brain maintenance.
  • 📚 Mental stimulation helps keep the brain sharp.
  • 💪 Overall physical health impacts brain health.
  • 🌱 Small lifestyle changes can lead to significant improvements.
  • 🔄 It's never too late to adopt healthier habits.
  • 🧩 The six pillars of brain health are interconnected.

الجدول الزمني

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The podcast introduces the importance of brain health and how it affects overall well-being. Host John Horton discusses the six pillars of brain health with psychiatrist Dr. Dylan Wint, emphasizing the need for a healthy brain to live life fully and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disorders.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Dr. Wint explains that our brain interprets sensory information, shaping our experiences. He highlights the brain's role in our identity and how it relies on the body for support. The discussion touches on the vulnerability of the brain to diseases as we age, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and the importance of maintaining brain health.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    As we age, our cognitive focus shifts from acquiring knowledge to using it effectively. Dr. Wint discusses the natural transitions in brain function and the increased risk of cognitive decline due to various factors, including lifestyle choices and health conditions.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The conversation shifts to the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, with alarming statistics on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Dr. Wint emphasizes the importance of lifestyle changes to improve brain health and resilience against aging effects.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Dr. Wint introduces the six pillars of brain health, which include physical activity, mental stimulation, social engagement, physical health, sleep, and nutrition. He explains how these pillars can reduce the risk of cognitive disorders and enhance overall brain function.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    The discussion on exercise highlights its benefits for both physical and brain health. Dr. Wint explains how regular physical activity can improve blood flow, reduce cognitive decline, and enhance mental well-being, emphasizing that it's never too late to start exercising.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    Social interaction is discussed as a crucial factor for brain health. Dr. Wint explains how social engagement can improve cognitive performance and protect against decline, stressing the dangers of isolation, especially in older adults.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:43:18

    The conversation concludes with a focus on nutrition, sleep, and overall health. Dr. Wint emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet, quality sleep, and managing chronic health conditions to support brain health, encouraging listeners to make small, manageable lifestyle changes.

اعرض المزيد

الخريطة الذهنية

فيديو أسئلة وأجوبة

  • What are the six pillars of brain health?

    The six pillars are physical activity, mental activity, social engagement, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and overall physical health.

  • How does exercise benefit brain health?

    Exercise helps maintain blood pressure and blood sugar, increases hormones important for nerve cell health, and reduces the risk of cognitive decline.

  • Why is social interaction important for brain health?

    Social engagement can improve cognitive performance and protect against cognitive decline, with studies showing it may impact brain health more than the presence of amyloid protein.

  • What is the MIND diet?

    The MIND diet combines the Mediterranean and DASH diets, focusing on foods that promote brain health and providing specific serving recommendations.

  • How does sleep affect brain health?

    Sleep is crucial for brain maintenance, allowing the brain to perform necessary cleaning and organizing tasks that cannot be done while awake.

  • Can lifestyle changes reverse cognitive decline?

    In some cases, lifestyle changes can improve cognitive function, especially if the decline is related to habits like alcohol consumption.

  • What is the recommended amount of exercise for brain health?

    An average of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is recommended.

  • How can I start improving my brain health?

    Begin with small, manageable changes in your daily routine, such as incorporating more physical activity, social interactions, and healthier eating habits.

  • Is it too late to improve brain health if I'm older?

    It's never too late to adopt healthier habits that can improve brain health and cognitive function.

  • What role does nutrition play in brain health?

    Nutrition provides the essential building blocks for brain health, and a healthy diet can reduce oxidative stress and lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

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التمرير التلقائي:
  • 00:00:01
    [Music]
  • 00:00:04
    Hey there and welcome to another Health
  • 00:00:06
    Essentials podcast. I'm John Horton,
  • 00:00:08
    your host. Your brain controls
  • 00:00:11
    everything you do, and the thoughts that
  • 00:00:13
    come out of that squishy mass in your
  • 00:00:15
    skull make you uniquely you. Without it,
  • 00:00:18
    you're just a collection of bones and
  • 00:00:20
    tissue with no real direction. That's
  • 00:00:22
    why a healthy brain is key to living
  • 00:00:25
    life to the fullest. So, how can you
  • 00:00:27
    keep your noodle in tip-top shape and
  • 00:00:29
    reduce your risk of neurodeenerative
  • 00:00:32
    disorders like Alzheimer's disease or
  • 00:00:34
    Parkinson's disease? Well, we're going
  • 00:00:36
    to get a plan in place today based on
  • 00:00:38
    the six pillars of brain health. Leading
  • 00:00:41
    us on this mental exercise will be
  • 00:00:43
    psychiatrist Dylan Wint, director of
  • 00:00:45
    Cleveland Clinic's Lou Ruvo Center for
  • 00:00:47
    Brain Health. Dr. Wint is one of the
  • 00:00:49
    many experts at Cleveland Clinic who pop
  • 00:00:51
    into our weekly podcast to give us
  • 00:00:53
    insight as to how our bodies work best.
  • 00:00:56
    So with that in mind, let's find out how
  • 00:00:58
    we can improve what's happening
  • 00:01:02
    [Music]
  • 00:01:05
    upstairs. Welcome to the podcast, Dr.
  • 00:01:08
    Wint. Uh thanks for joining us today to
  • 00:01:10
    talk about what's going on in our
  • 00:01:12
    noggin. Thanks a lot for having me and
  • 00:01:14
    I'm looking forward to the conversation.
  • 00:01:16
    So, so ahead of your visit, uh, I was
  • 00:01:18
    listening to an interview that you did
  • 00:01:20
    and and you shared a concept that really
  • 00:01:22
    just got my mind warring and basically
  • 00:01:25
    it was that our brain creates the world
  • 00:01:28
    we experience. That's just kind of some
  • 00:01:31
    mindbending almost sci-fi stuff to kind
  • 00:01:34
    of wrap your head around. Yeah. And uh
  • 00:01:36
    it was pretty shocking to me as I went
  • 00:01:39
    through college and medical school uh
  • 00:01:41
    understanding how much of what we think
  • 00:01:44
    we are experiencing we are actually
  • 00:01:47
    simply perceiving. So everything that we
  • 00:01:51
    interact with, whether it's through
  • 00:01:53
    touch, uh, scent, sound, sight, um, our
  • 00:01:58
    sensory organs are collecting pieces of
  • 00:02:01
    information that actually you wouldn't
  • 00:02:04
    recognize as having anything to do with
  • 00:02:06
    the world around you. They're they're
  • 00:02:07
    neural impulses. And these neural
  • 00:02:09
    impulses travel through your nervous
  • 00:02:11
    system to the brain where they are then
  • 00:02:14
    uh interpreted into the experience that
  • 00:02:17
    we have of the world around us. So when
  • 00:02:19
    we quote unquote see something, what
  • 00:02:22
    we're actually doing is um understanding
  • 00:02:25
    the interpretation that our brain has
  • 00:02:27
    made of neural signals representing
  • 00:02:30
    light and dark and color that are coming
  • 00:02:33
    to our brain and similarly with sounds
  • 00:02:35
    and with with textures. Uh so if there's
  • 00:02:38
    a distortion in the way that our nervous
  • 00:02:41
    system is transmitting or processing
  • 00:02:43
    this information, we can have a very
  • 00:02:45
    skewed understanding of the world around
  • 00:02:48
    us. I I just I love that whole concept
  • 00:02:51
    and it really it was one of those things
  • 00:02:53
    when I heard it and you just kind of
  • 00:02:54
    started thinking about it and it's
  • 00:02:56
    really um like I said it does it makes
  • 00:02:58
    it makes you think. It made me use what
  • 00:03:00
    uh use the brain that we're here to talk
  • 00:03:02
    about. Um, and you know, I mean,
  • 00:03:04
    sometimes I think we overlook just just
  • 00:03:06
    how much our brain does. Um, it just
  • 00:03:10
    it's it's a workhorse with with just a
  • 00:03:12
    lot on its plate. Uh, you know,
  • 00:03:14
    basically it's run everything in our
  • 00:03:16
    bodies. Um, I think I love this quote
  • 00:03:18
    from Thomas Edison, uh, who had a a
  • 00:03:21
    pretty impressive mind and he said, uh,
  • 00:03:23
    the chief function of the body is just
  • 00:03:26
    to carry the brain around. You know, I
  • 00:03:28
    hadn't heard that quote. I thought just
  • 00:03:30
    neurologists thought that but uh you
  • 00:03:32
    know in a way it's true the the brain
  • 00:03:35
    actually holds what makes us us right
  • 00:03:37
    our memories of our experiences our
  • 00:03:39
    personality our plans and um the rest of
  • 00:03:43
    the body does provide a sort of a
  • 00:03:46
    carrying case and support system for the
  • 00:03:48
    brain. That's not to diminish the
  • 00:03:50
    importance of the rest of the body. In
  • 00:03:52
    fact, a key component of brain health is
  • 00:03:55
    the health of the body. Because let's
  • 00:03:57
    face it, without the body and what it
  • 00:04:00
    provides, oxygen, blood, nutrients,
  • 00:04:03
    transportation for the brain, the brain
  • 00:04:06
    uh doesn't serve much of a purpose.
  • 00:04:08
    Well, and and while the brain is an
  • 00:04:11
    incredibly powerful tool, as you just
  • 00:04:13
    kind of kind of laid out for us, uh we
  • 00:04:15
    also know that it's not indestructible.
  • 00:04:17
    Um and I know that's a reality that you
  • 00:04:19
    see quite a bit in your work here
  • 00:04:22
    focused on neurodeenerative conditions.
  • 00:04:25
    Um so it seems like there are quite a
  • 00:04:27
    few ways where we can lose some of the
  • 00:04:30
    computing power uh that we have in our
  • 00:04:32
    heads. There are unfortunately uh on the
  • 00:04:35
    fortunate side for most of us uh we
  • 00:04:38
    might experience changes in the way this
  • 00:04:41
    computer this supercomput works. I'm
  • 00:04:43
    already feeling
  • 00:04:45
    that everything seems to be slowing up a
  • 00:04:48
    little bit. Sure, we we do transition
  • 00:04:51
    from sort of information gathering and
  • 00:04:54
    storing machines to more information
  • 00:04:57
    processing. And you know, that kind of
  • 00:04:59
    goes along with some of the
  • 00:05:01
    responsibilities as we get older. When
  • 00:05:02
    when we're children, our job is to learn
  • 00:05:05
    how to be people, right? To learn how to
  • 00:05:08
    communicate, to get around and so forth.
  • 00:05:09
    And so, there's a very rapid uh
  • 00:05:12
    acquisition of knowledge. We're very
  • 00:05:14
    good at storing information in our
  • 00:05:16
    heads. And as we transition to older
  • 00:05:19
    ages, what's uh less important than how
  • 00:05:24
    quickly we can attain knowledge is how
  • 00:05:27
    we use that knowledge to make judgments,
  • 00:05:30
    to make conclusions, to make decisions,
  • 00:05:33
    and to sort of uh structure our lives
  • 00:05:35
    around those and to help the younger
  • 00:05:37
    ones that now we're imparting knowledge
  • 00:05:39
    to to uh learn how to use that knowledge
  • 00:05:42
    themselves. And so there are natural
  • 00:05:43
    transitions that occur as we age. But
  • 00:05:46
    unfortunately our brains also much like
  • 00:05:49
    other uh organs within our body or even
  • 00:05:52
    other um machines as we age they do
  • 00:05:56
    become more vulnerable and more
  • 00:05:58
    susceptible to diseases to trauma to the
  • 00:06:03
    effects of uh malnutrition and other
  • 00:06:06
    negative impacts on our body systems.
  • 00:06:08
    Well, and some of those are just they're
  • 00:06:10
    they're scary to even think about when
  • 00:06:12
    you start thinking about Alzheimer's and
  • 00:06:14
    dementia and Parkinson's. I mean, those
  • 00:06:17
    are all things that I think most of us
  • 00:06:19
    you you really you fear coming across
  • 00:06:22
    them, whether it's you or or whether
  • 00:06:24
    it's somebody that you love. And and
  • 00:06:26
    it's man, it's way more common than what
  • 00:06:29
    than what you would want. It it's a lot
  • 00:06:31
    more common than we would want. uh
  • 00:06:34
    unfortunately 10 to 15% of people over
  • 00:06:37
    the age of 70 will experience Alzheimer
  • 00:06:40
    disease and that's just one of the many
  • 00:06:42
    diseases that can affect the brain.
  • 00:06:44
    Parkinson disease which uh has been
  • 00:06:47
    maybe about 1/5if as common as Alzheimer
  • 00:06:50
    disease for reasons that we don't fully
  • 00:06:53
    understand is now the most rapidly
  • 00:06:56
    growing uh in incidence and prevalence u
  • 00:07:01
    neurodeenerative disease. So, we're
  • 00:07:03
    starting to see rates of Parkinson
  • 00:07:04
    disease going up. And then there are
  • 00:07:06
    numerous other conditions that affect
  • 00:07:08
    the brain such as stroke, uh other
  • 00:07:10
    degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's
  • 00:07:12
    or Parkinson's where cells in the brain
  • 00:07:14
    are slowly dying off, where our brains
  • 00:07:16
    become more susceptible to head trauma
  • 00:07:19
    as we get older. Uh, and so there there
  • 00:07:22
    are a number of things that can affect
  • 00:07:24
    us, but we have a number of ways of
  • 00:07:27
    making our brains healthier, more
  • 00:07:29
    resilient, and more capable of fighting
  • 00:07:31
    back against the effects of aging,
  • 00:07:34
    including neurodeenerative disease.
  • 00:07:36
    Well, and that's what we're here to talk
  • 00:07:38
    about because, you know, as you were
  • 00:07:39
    going through that list, I'm thinking
  • 00:07:40
    those are all things uh that all of us
  • 00:07:43
    want to avoid and and it sounds like we
  • 00:07:45
    can improve our odds of maintaining kind
  • 00:07:48
    of high level cognitive function through
  • 00:07:51
    how we live our lives. And and this all
  • 00:07:54
    seems to be summed up very nicely in
  • 00:07:55
    what's called the six pillars of brain
  • 00:07:58
    health. Um can you kind of give us a
  • 00:08:00
    little bit of an introduction to that?
  • 00:08:02
    Yeah, absolutely. So the six pillars of
  • 00:08:04
    brain health are scientifically
  • 00:08:06
    demonstrated uh ways of reducing risk of
  • 00:08:10
    getting Alzheimer disease and other
  • 00:08:12
    cognitive disorders. So uh the six
  • 00:08:16
    pillars I would put three of them in a
  • 00:08:19
    category that I would label as
  • 00:08:21
    increasing activity. I think our bodies
  • 00:08:24
    and our brains are made for exploring
  • 00:08:26
    our environment for encountering and
  • 00:08:28
    learning new things. And so three of the
  • 00:08:31
    pillars are increased physical activity
  • 00:08:34
    or exercise, uh increased mental
  • 00:08:37
    activity, cognitive stimulation, and uh
  • 00:08:40
    increased social activity, interacting
  • 00:08:42
    with other individuals. And then the
  • 00:08:44
    other three pillars, uh maintaining good
  • 00:08:47
    physical health. So uh taking care of
  • 00:08:50
    chronic conditions like blood pressure,
  • 00:08:53
    diabetes, that's one of the pillars.
  • 00:08:55
    Another one of the pillars is proper
  • 00:08:56
    amounts of rest and relaxation and that
  • 00:09:00
    includes sleep in the appropriate
  • 00:09:03
    quantities and and at the uh uh at at an
  • 00:09:07
    adequate quality uh of sleep.
  • 00:09:11
    Um and uh uh of course the fuel that our
  • 00:09:16
    bodies and brains need is very crucial.
  • 00:09:19
    And so maintaining a good diet and uh we
  • 00:09:24
    we have specific recommendations about
  • 00:09:26
    that. Well, and let's get into some of
  • 00:09:28
    that now. I'd like to kind of drill down
  • 00:09:30
    a little bit on some of these uh some of
  • 00:09:32
    these pillars and explore them a little
  • 00:09:34
    bit. So, um, let's let's kind of start
  • 00:09:37
    right at the top of the list, which I
  • 00:09:39
    guess you had mentioned exercise, one of
  • 00:09:41
    the big things and and I think everyone
  • 00:09:43
    thinks of exercise as being for for your
  • 00:09:45
    body. Um, you know, you're going to
  • 00:09:46
    you're going to be a little more fit,
  • 00:09:47
    you're going to get some muscles that
  • 00:09:48
    look good. Uh, that how is that going to
  • 00:09:51
    help your brain? Yeah. Well, speaking
  • 00:09:54
    about how um exercise helps the body,
  • 00:09:57
    exercise helps us to maintain regular
  • 00:10:00
    blood pressure, regular blood sugar. Uh
  • 00:10:03
    exercise keeps our hearts and our blood
  • 00:10:05
    vessels healthier. And all of these
  • 00:10:07
    things are good for the brain. But
  • 00:10:08
    exercise also appears to have direct
  • 00:10:10
    impacts on the brain uh in increasing
  • 00:10:14
    hormones that are important for nerve
  • 00:10:17
    cell health. uh also in increasing the
  • 00:10:21
    uh activity of neurotransmitters that
  • 00:10:24
    are important for well-being, for
  • 00:10:26
    cognition uh and for uh sleep and other
  • 00:10:29
    body functions. Uh exercise has been
  • 00:10:32
    demonstrated to reduce the risk of
  • 00:10:36
    developing cognitive trouble. exercising
  • 00:10:38
    people who have the earliest signs of
  • 00:10:41
    cognitive trouble which we called mild
  • 00:10:43
    cognitive impairment. Uh exercise
  • 00:10:46
    reduces the likelihood and the rate of
  • 00:10:49
    progression to later stages of cognitive
  • 00:10:53
    dysfunction. So even if one is worried
  • 00:10:56
    about their brain or if you have a
  • 00:10:59
    demonstrated brain problem already,
  • 00:11:01
    exercise can help. It's never too early
  • 00:11:03
    and it's never too late to apply
  • 00:11:06
    exercise and the other pillars of brain
  • 00:11:08
    health is some of that just I know you
  • 00:11:10
    know anyone if you exercise you get that
  • 00:11:12
    um that that high out of out of doing it
  • 00:11:14
    and you just you feel better and and you
  • 00:11:16
    feel better mentally. I know um you know
  • 00:11:18
    I I run and and you can work so much out
  • 00:11:21
    running and your head kind of clears and
  • 00:11:23
    all that. I know, you know, it's similar
  • 00:11:24
    if you if you're biking, if you're
  • 00:11:26
    lifting weights, if you're doing
  • 00:11:27
    anything like that, it just you you do
  • 00:11:29
    get that that boost. And is that just
  • 00:11:31
    kind of a sign that our brains are are
  • 00:11:34
    just kind of eating all that up and just
  • 00:11:37
    really getting healthier? You know, I
  • 00:11:39
    think it it serves two purposes. One is
  • 00:11:42
    or that that feeling comes from from two
  • 00:11:44
    sources. One is that um yes when we
  • 00:11:49
    exercise there is an immediate effect on
  • 00:11:52
    neurotransmitters in our brain and our
  • 00:11:54
    brain does uh uh signal that it's
  • 00:11:59
    lovingness. Another purpose is that when
  • 00:12:02
    we get these flows of neurotransmitters
  • 00:12:05
    it increases the likelihood that
  • 00:12:06
    whatever activity we're engaged in that
  • 00:12:09
    we will engage in in the future. Right?
  • 00:12:11
    If you liked it, if it felt good, you're
  • 00:12:13
    more to do it again. So there's a a
  • 00:12:15
    reward component to it that increases
  • 00:12:18
    the potential for you doing it in the
  • 00:12:21
    future and actually lowers the threshold
  • 00:12:23
    for you engaging in that activi in that
  • 00:12:26
    activity. We're always balancing
  • 00:12:28
    consciously or not uh whether the next
  • 00:12:31
    thing we're going to do is worth the
  • 00:12:34
    effort that it takes and that worth side
  • 00:12:37
    is driven by the amount of reward that
  • 00:12:40
    we perceive we're going to get from it.
  • 00:12:42
    And so for those who are struggling to
  • 00:12:45
    get an exercise program going, uh
  • 00:12:48
    recognize that the more that you're able
  • 00:12:51
    to even get some component of that
  • 00:12:53
    going, the easier it will be over time
  • 00:12:57
    to to continue to engage in it. So
  • 00:13:00
    starting a good habit uh means starting
  • 00:13:03
    with small steps. And as far as what you
  • 00:13:06
    need to kind of exercise to help to help
  • 00:13:08
    your brain, we're not talking you need
  • 00:13:10
    to go out and and do an Iron Man
  • 00:13:12
    competition, right? Or start flipping
  • 00:13:13
    those tractor tires. I mean, this is
  • 00:13:15
    just just basic physical activity we're
  • 00:13:18
    talking about, right? That's right. For
  • 00:13:20
    those who are looking to reduce their
  • 00:13:21
    risk or those who have mild cognitive
  • 00:13:23
    impairment are looking to slow down
  • 00:13:26
    cognitive decline, we're talking about
  • 00:13:29
    uh an average of 150 minutes per week.
  • 00:13:33
    So you know 30 minutes five times per
  • 00:13:36
    week uh or uh one hour three times per
  • 00:13:40
    week. There are different ways to get
  • 00:13:42
    there but 150 minutes per week seems to
  • 00:13:45
    be kind of the threshold for uh for prod
  • 00:13:50
    producing those brain protective and uh
  • 00:13:53
    mental health enhancing effects. And
  • 00:13:56
    it's a level of exercise that's uh
  • 00:13:59
    moderate. Meaning um one way to look at
  • 00:14:03
    it is the level of exercise that would
  • 00:14:07
    make it hard for you to sing a song. You
  • 00:14:09
    know, you're too out of breath to sing a
  • 00:14:10
    song, but you could still hold a normal
  • 00:14:12
    conversation. So, brisk walk, slow jog,
  • 00:14:16
    a bike ride, a hike. Uh these are all
  • 00:14:20
    kind of in that moderate level. If you
  • 00:14:22
    want to do a more intense uh level of
  • 00:14:24
    exercise, of course, that's that there's
  • 00:14:26
    no negative to that. And in fact, it
  • 00:14:29
    might require even less time, maybe more
  • 00:14:31
    like 120 minutes per week of of intense
  • 00:14:34
    exercise. Well, that sounds like a a
  • 00:14:37
    good and achievable goal for people.
  • 00:14:39
    Just uh you know, get out, stroll
  • 00:14:41
    around, hike at your nearby park. Um
  • 00:14:44
    just find something and and your body
  • 00:14:46
    should feel better and it sounds like
  • 00:14:47
    your your mind should feel a little
  • 00:14:49
    better. That's absolutely right. All
  • 00:14:51
    right. Well, let's move on. We we have
  • 00:14:52
    six pillars to get to here. So, so what
  • 00:14:54
    what what do you want to hit next? Why
  • 00:14:56
    don't we go with uh social activity and
  • 00:14:58
    social interaction? Oh, I always love
  • 00:15:01
    talking about friends. So, so, so why is
  • 00:15:04
    was just hanging out with people? Um how
  • 00:15:07
    is that going to help our brain just be
  • 00:15:09
    the best it can be uh throughout life?
  • 00:15:11
    Well, we don't understand all the
  • 00:15:13
    reasons that that social activity and
  • 00:15:15
    social engagement help, but we know that
  • 00:15:18
    social withdrawal is damaging to the
  • 00:15:20
    brain and increasing levels of social
  • 00:15:22
    activity can improve cognitive
  • 00:15:24
    performance and protect against
  • 00:15:26
    cognitive decline. In fact, at uh older
  • 00:15:30
    ages, the presence or absence of social
  • 00:15:33
    activity may actually impact your brain
  • 00:15:36
    health more than the presence or absence
  • 00:15:39
    of amaloid protein, which is kind of the
  • 00:15:42
    the the key protein that's involved in
  • 00:15:44
    Alzheimer disease. So, the the effects
  • 00:15:48
    of social activity and social engagement
  • 00:15:50
    on brain health are are truly profound.
  • 00:15:53
    Wow. Uh, so that's what they Is it just
  • 00:15:55
    the stimulation of of of of I guess
  • 00:15:57
    conversing with somebody else or is it
  • 00:15:59
    just it forces you to kind of process a
  • 00:16:01
    lot of information as you're as you're
  • 00:16:03
    having discussions and just analyze and
  • 00:16:06
    and you know everything that you do when
  • 00:16:07
    you're you're hanging out with people. I
  • 00:16:09
    think both of those are reasonable
  • 00:16:11
    thoughts. I I don't know that anyone's
  • 00:16:13
    identified the key factors, but
  • 00:16:16
    absolutely if you think about it, a
  • 00:16:17
    conversation is really good brain
  • 00:16:20
    exercise. There's of course the the
  • 00:16:22
    language component of it, both producing
  • 00:16:24
    and interpreting language, but they're
  • 00:16:26
    also interpreting uh vocal uh
  • 00:16:30
    inflections, facial expressions,
  • 00:16:32
    thinking about the overall plan for the
  • 00:16:35
    conversation. uh but we think that there
  • 00:16:38
    is an independent effect of just that
  • 00:16:41
    engagement with another person because
  • 00:16:43
    they there have also been studies
  • 00:16:46
    demonstrating that the depth of one's
  • 00:16:49
    engagement with their social contacts
  • 00:16:52
    influences the impact of of social
  • 00:16:54
    interaction on brain health. Wow. It
  • 00:16:56
    just makes you realize how important
  • 00:16:58
    like kind of developing these
  • 00:16:59
    relationships are and then you know
  • 00:17:02
    continuing them uh throughout your life.
  • 00:17:04
    You know, you always hear about
  • 00:17:05
    isolation being really a big danger as
  • 00:17:08
    people age. And this seems to be a clear
  • 00:17:10
    re reason why. It is truly dangerous to
  • 00:17:14
    be socially isolated as you age,
  • 00:17:16
    dangerous to your uh cognitive health,
  • 00:17:19
    dangerous to your your mental health in
  • 00:17:21
    terms of emotional and psychological
  • 00:17:23
    well-being, and increasing evidence
  • 00:17:25
    suggests that it's dangerous to your
  • 00:17:27
    physical health as well. Now, when we
  • 00:17:29
    were talking about kind of these
  • 00:17:30
    relationships, you kind of touched on
  • 00:17:31
    the whole concept of of keeping your
  • 00:17:34
    mind engaged in doing things, which
  • 00:17:35
    which kind of leads us nicely into one
  • 00:17:38
    of those other pillars, which is uh
  • 00:17:40
    mental fitness. Um, this this kind of
  • 00:17:42
    sounds like one of those use it or lose
  • 00:17:44
    it sort of uh concepts. Well, I I think
  • 00:17:46
    it might go along with that. Uh, and it
  • 00:17:49
    starts pretty early in life. So even
  • 00:17:52
    factors like someone's access to quality
  • 00:17:55
    education in elementary school
  • 00:17:57
    influences their risk of getting
  • 00:17:59
    Alzheimer disease and other forms of
  • 00:18:02
    dementia later on in life. So very early
  • 00:18:06
    age onward our level of intellectual or
  • 00:18:09
    cognitive engagement has a lot to do
  • 00:18:12
    with where our cognitive status ends up
  • 00:18:16
    towards the towards the end of life. Um,
  • 00:18:19
    we generally recommend that people don't
  • 00:18:22
    sort of just find a specific activity
  • 00:18:25
    and continue doing that. You know,
  • 00:18:27
    there's a lot of uh questions that I get
  • 00:18:30
    about, oh, should I do crossword puzzles
  • 00:18:32
    every day? Or even more so, people who
  • 00:18:34
    say, well, I I can't have dementia
  • 00:18:36
    because I do crossword puzzles every
  • 00:18:38
    day. That is great to do crossword
  • 00:18:40
    puzzles every day, but remember that
  • 00:18:42
    whole idea of our brains and bodies
  • 00:18:45
    being meant to explore. So doing new
  • 00:18:49
    things that are mentally challenging uh
  • 00:18:52
    is probably better for your brain than
  • 00:18:55
    even getting very good at doing a a
  • 00:18:58
    singular thing like a cross a cross
  • 00:19:00
    word. Uh excuse me. Uh doing new things
  • 00:19:03
    that are challenging for your brain is
  • 00:19:05
    probably even better than getting very
  • 00:19:08
    good at doing the same old thing like a
  • 00:19:11
    cross word puzzle or something like
  • 00:19:12
    that. Not to say I'm not saying give up
  • 00:19:14
    the crossword puzzle.
  • 00:19:16
    Yeah, that that makes so much sense
  • 00:19:18
    because I know whenever you do take on
  • 00:19:19
    something new. Um it's a different level
  • 00:19:22
    of of mental activity. I always feel
  • 00:19:24
    like when when you're trying to get
  • 00:19:26
    these new concepts and and just that,
  • 00:19:28
    you know, stumbling around a little bit
  • 00:19:30
    and you always feel a little off, but
  • 00:19:32
    but it really forces you to to to use
  • 00:19:34
    your your head, use your mind to to kind
  • 00:19:37
    of figure things out. And the threshold
  • 00:19:40
    for doing something new is, I think, a
  • 00:19:42
    lot lower than it's been in the past. Uh
  • 00:19:45
    there are lots of ways that you know you
  • 00:19:47
    can find to let's say self-e an
  • 00:19:49
    instrument and the instruments are
  • 00:19:51
    cheaper than they ever have been. And
  • 00:19:54
    you know you can it doesn't have to be
  • 00:19:56
    any kind of you know it doesn't have to
  • 00:19:57
    be a concert instrument. You could get a
  • 00:20:00
    recorder or a kazoo or a harmonica and
  • 00:20:04
    learn how to play one of those. We now
  • 00:20:07
    have apps that can teach us new
  • 00:20:09
    languages uh sometimes for free. And
  • 00:20:11
    there are lots of universities that
  • 00:20:14
    offer courses for folks who are retired
  • 00:20:16
    where they can essentially go and audit
  • 00:20:18
    a course at a very low cost with other
  • 00:20:20
    retirees and uh get that social
  • 00:20:23
    engagement in there as well. Yeah. Now,
  • 00:20:25
    what does gaining this new information
  • 00:20:27
    do? Is this just that you're you're kind
  • 00:20:29
    of making u more connections in in in in
  • 00:20:32
    your in your brain that that are kind of
  • 00:20:34
    keeping things together or or h how does
  • 00:20:36
    that keep it healthier? Well, uh another
  • 00:20:39
    thing that we're not sure about, you
  • 00:20:40
    know, and I I hate to keep repeating
  • 00:20:42
    this,
  • 00:20:43
    but human brains are substantially
  • 00:20:46
    different from the brains of any other
  • 00:20:48
    organisms. And so although we have
  • 00:20:51
    animal models and we have petri dish
  • 00:20:53
    models for human brain processes, uh we
  • 00:20:57
    know that there's a lot more going on in
  • 00:21:00
    very complex ways that we can understand
  • 00:21:02
    from animal models and petri dishes. So
  • 00:21:05
    um what I would say in terms of uh you
  • 00:21:08
    know how does uh gathering new
  • 00:21:11
    information or learning new things help
  • 00:21:13
    the brain to stay healthy? think it may
  • 00:21:16
    have something to do with, you know, we
  • 00:21:18
    have a growth mindset that's kind of a
  • 00:21:21
    psychological status where we're open to
  • 00:21:24
    new ideas. I think there may also be a
  • 00:21:27
    growth or learning brain set where
  • 00:21:29
    biologically our brain stays more
  • 00:21:32
    capable of accepting adapting to new
  • 00:21:35
    ideas. And that staltification that uh
  • 00:21:38
    avoiding new ideas, avoiding exploration
  • 00:21:41
    actually puts your brain into kind of a
  • 00:21:43
    mindset where it is no longer as easily
  • 00:21:48
    capable of learning of adapting and
  • 00:21:50
    that's again where that danger comes in
  • 00:21:53
    because if you cannot learn and adapt uh
  • 00:21:56
    pretty soon that leads to retraction.
  • 00:21:59
    Now, now you had mentioned that a lot of
  • 00:22:01
    this is set even from an early age like
  • 00:22:03
    what you do in in elementary school or
  • 00:22:05
    preschool kind of sets you up as you age
  • 00:22:09
    like you know what your abilities are or
  • 00:22:11
    what you can do if if you fell behind
  • 00:22:13
    early. I mean this doesn't mean that you
  • 00:22:15
    should just give up, right? I mean you
  • 00:22:16
    you can always gain something later in
  • 00:22:18
    life um if if you kind of pursue this
  • 00:22:21
    this this new learning. That's right.
  • 00:22:24
    Early life has significant influences
  • 00:22:27
    but it is not destiny. And uh in fact if
  • 00:22:31
    early life was uh somewhat deprived
  • 00:22:35
    intellectually that may be considered
  • 00:22:38
    even more motivation to pursue learning
  • 00:22:42
    opportunities if they arise later in
  • 00:22:44
    life. Well, this this is fun. I think
  • 00:22:46
    we're we're halfway through our our six
  • 00:22:48
    pillars. Um I guess spin the wheel and
  • 00:22:52
    and what do you what do you want to hit
  • 00:22:53
    next? Well, let's talk about food and
  • 00:22:55
    nutrition. Oh, we love talking about
  • 00:22:57
    food and nutrition here. We have a
  • 00:22:58
    nutrition essentials podcast where we're
  • 00:23:01
    constantly talking about food and all
  • 00:23:03
    the incredible things that it does for
  • 00:23:05
    our bodies. Um, so I I'm glad to see I
  • 00:23:08
    figured it would it would also hit the
  • 00:23:10
    hit the brain. Well, if you think about
  • 00:23:12
    it, and it doesn't take very deep
  • 00:23:14
    thinking about it, our bodies and brains
  • 00:23:16
    are actually made up of the food we eat,
  • 00:23:20
    the air we breathe, the fluids we drink.
  • 00:23:24
    The healthier those components, the
  • 00:23:27
    healthier the the the scaffolding, the
  • 00:23:30
    materials that are used to construct our
  • 00:23:32
    brain and our bodies, the stronger our
  • 00:23:34
    brains and bodies will be. And we
  • 00:23:37
    recommend the mind diet. This was
  • 00:23:40
    developed at Rush University in Chicago
  • 00:23:42
    and it's a combination of the
  • 00:23:44
    Mediterranean diet that many people have
  • 00:23:46
    heard about and um the DASH diet which
  • 00:23:50
    was developed specifically for vascular
  • 00:23:52
    health in people who have high blood
  • 00:23:55
    pressure. Uh the mind diet doesn't
  • 00:23:57
    contain anything I think that will be a
  • 00:23:59
    surprise to people but I I like its
  • 00:24:02
    relatively simple format. there 10 types
  • 00:24:05
    of foods that they recommend getting
  • 00:24:07
    lots of. Uh five types of foods that
  • 00:24:10
    they recommend getting little of or
  • 00:24:13
    minimizing and they give you the actual
  • 00:24:15
    number of servings per per week or per
  • 00:24:17
    day that you want to aim for. And I
  • 00:24:19
    think that's what a lot of people are
  • 00:24:21
    looking for. We tell them, oh, eat a
  • 00:24:23
    Mediterranean style diet. Well, people
  • 00:24:25
    have an idea of what that means, but how
  • 00:24:27
    many servings? How much, you know, eat
  • 00:24:29
    more green vegetables? Well, more um
  • 00:24:32
    what's what's enough? When do I get to
  • 00:24:34
    to enough? What if I don't like green
  • 00:24:36
    vegetables? I don't want to keep eating
  • 00:24:37
    more and more. What's the threshold for
  • 00:24:39
    me to do well? And and I think the mind
  • 00:24:41
    diet helps to give us quantities and
  • 00:24:44
    give good examples of the types of foods
  • 00:24:47
    that they're talking about. And I'm sure
  • 00:24:48
    we could do a whole whole episode just
  • 00:24:50
    on those diets. But in a nutshell, it
  • 00:24:52
    sounds like a lot of that it's based on
  • 00:24:54
    uh fruits and vegetables, um kind of
  • 00:24:56
    lean proteins, um whole grains, uh
  • 00:25:00
    legumes. I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of
  • 00:25:02
    them there, too, but those are kind of
  • 00:25:05
    what you want to hit, right? Yeah,
  • 00:25:07
    you've got a pretty good coverage of
  • 00:25:08
    them there. particularly the fresh
  • 00:25:10
    fruits and vegetables and lean meats. Uh
  • 00:25:13
    whole grains also and then trying to
  • 00:25:15
    stay away from uh processed sugar uh
  • 00:25:18
    staying away from fatty uh fatty foods
  • 00:25:22
    um and uh really trying to sometimes I
  • 00:25:27
    tell patients who are still having some
  • 00:25:29
    struggle struggles getting it, you know,
  • 00:25:31
    the the closer a food is to the way it
  • 00:25:34
    came from nature, the more likely it is
  • 00:25:36
    to be good for you. Well, and that makes
  • 00:25:38
    that makes a lot of sense. And and it
  • 00:25:41
    seems like a lot of this is with what
  • 00:25:43
    you eat. It's linked to to oxidative
  • 00:25:45
    stress and and I I feel like that's one
  • 00:25:47
    of those terms that come up with eating
  • 00:25:49
    a lot and people have a hard time kind
  • 00:25:52
    of wrapping their heads around it. Um I
  • 00:25:54
    I saw one explanation and they compared
  • 00:25:56
    it to to rust on your bike handles,
  • 00:25:59
    which which I kind of liked. And and is
  • 00:26:01
    it is it really that simple? We're we're
  • 00:26:03
    all if you eat some some a really poor
  • 00:26:06
    diet, you're just kind of you're rusting
  • 00:26:08
    out uh your your your brain inside. Uh
  • 00:26:11
    well, yeah, I think that's not bad. The
  • 00:26:13
    the rust that develops on bike handles
  • 00:26:16
    is literal oxidation of the metal in the
  • 00:26:18
    bike handles, but it's kind of a passive
  • 00:26:20
    process. I think the oxidative stress uh
  • 00:26:24
    that we have to be even more concerned
  • 00:26:26
    about is that as we process uh in this
  • 00:26:31
    case we're talking about foods but in
  • 00:26:33
    general uh body processes are associated
  • 00:26:37
    with byproducts of those processes and
  • 00:26:40
    digesting food processing food is
  • 00:26:43
    associated with byproducts some of which
  • 00:26:47
    are oxidizing uh entities And so that is
  • 00:26:52
    the oxidative stress. And you know, with
  • 00:26:55
    rust on a bike handle, it's pretty hard
  • 00:26:57
    to control that. I mean, you can keep
  • 00:26:59
    the bike inside and keep it away from
  • 00:27:02
    moisture and dry it off if it gets wet.
  • 00:27:05
    Uh, but still, it's kind of a passive
  • 00:27:07
    process. I think it's really important
  • 00:27:08
    for people to understand that the
  • 00:27:10
    oxidative stress that's a result of
  • 00:27:13
    eating highly processed foods that your
  • 00:27:16
    body then has to unprocess to make it
  • 00:27:19
    useful to the body. This is what uh
  • 00:27:22
    generates a lot of the oxidative stress
  • 00:27:24
    that the the modern person is exposed
  • 00:27:27
    to. So you're actually putting things
  • 00:27:30
    into your body that increase those
  • 00:27:34
    stresses on on your system. And it
  • 00:27:37
    sounds like as we do that then your risk
  • 00:27:39
    of some of those diseases you were
  • 00:27:41
    talking about earlier just become a
  • 00:27:42
    little more pronounced. Yes. Uh chronic
  • 00:27:45
    oxidative stress is not good for uh a
  • 00:27:49
    whole host of diseases of the body and
  • 00:27:51
    the brain. And it does appear that
  • 00:27:53
    oxidative stress is an important player
  • 00:27:56
    in both the uh the initiation of
  • 00:27:59
    Alzheimer disease as well as its rate of
  • 00:28:02
    progression. And that's likely true for
  • 00:28:04
    other degenerative conditions as well.
  • 00:28:07
    Okay. Well, well, after you eat, as we
  • 00:28:09
    all know, sometimes you'll feel sleepy,
  • 00:28:11
    which kind of leads us into into one of
  • 00:28:14
    the other pillars that we haven't
  • 00:28:15
    touched on yet, which is sleep and
  • 00:28:17
    relaxation. Um, is this just a matter of
  • 00:28:20
    of giving our brains a break so they can
  • 00:28:23
    kind of catch up with everything? Uh, I
  • 00:28:25
    would say yes in terms of catching up
  • 00:28:27
    with everything, but not so much in
  • 00:28:29
    terms of giving our brains a break. Our
  • 00:28:32
    brains are quite active actually during
  • 00:28:34
    sleep. In fact, in some stages of sleep,
  • 00:28:37
    the brain is more active than it is when
  • 00:28:39
    we're sitting there thinking about a
  • 00:28:41
    math problem or or some other problem.
  • 00:28:44
    So, it's not so much that our brains are
  • 00:28:45
    resting, but that there's a different
  • 00:28:47
    mode that our brains go into where
  • 00:28:49
    they're performing other activities
  • 00:28:52
    during rest that can't be performed
  • 00:28:54
    while we're awake. And those have a lot
  • 00:28:56
    to do with maintenance. Sometimes I use
  • 00:28:59
    the analogy, uh, think about Disney
  • 00:29:01
    World at 900 p.m. Let's say they get all
  • 00:29:04
    the guests of the park out and what do
  • 00:29:07
    you think happen? What do you think
  • 00:29:08
    would h you would see if you went there
  • 00:29:10
    at 1000 p.m.? You wouldn't see an empty
  • 00:29:12
    park with the lights all off. You'd see
  • 00:29:14
    all the maintenance workers cleaning out
  • 00:29:17
    the garbage cans, checking the rides to
  • 00:29:19
    make sure they're functioning properly,
  • 00:29:22
    uh maintaining the other equipment,
  • 00:29:23
    replacing the change in the cash
  • 00:29:25
    registers, so that when the park opens
  • 00:29:28
    again at
  • 00:29:29
    9, it doesn't look like it did when you
  • 00:29:33
    left the 9:00 p.m. the night before. And
  • 00:29:35
    if Disney World never closed, I'm sure
  • 00:29:39
    the kids would be happy, but it would be
  • 00:29:41
    a pretty nasty looking place uh after a
  • 00:29:44
    few days. And this is what sleep is
  • 00:29:47
    important for, for making sure that our
  • 00:29:51
    Disney World is ready to go the next day
  • 00:29:53
    and the day after that and the day after
  • 00:29:55
    that. That is such a great way to
  • 00:29:58
    explain that. And I love the idea that
  • 00:30:00
    when you sleep, your brain is basically
  • 00:30:02
    just cleaning everything up and kind of
  • 00:30:05
    freshening things so you can start the
  • 00:30:07
    next day and and really be be ready to
  • 00:30:10
    go, but it's doing a lot of work. And
  • 00:30:12
    that work has to it's not just the
  • 00:30:15
    amount of time you give for the work,
  • 00:30:17
    but the work has to be sequenced and
  • 00:30:19
    staged in certain way, right? Um in the
  • 00:30:22
    same way that you can imagine at an
  • 00:30:23
    amusement park. um you you don't want to
  • 00:30:26
    put the new uh garbage bags in the trash
  • 00:30:29
    bins until the old one's taken out. If
  • 00:30:31
    you if you did it in the wrong order or
  • 00:30:33
    if you didn't give enough time for each
  • 00:30:35
    stage, uh then it it wouldn't come out
  • 00:30:38
    right. And similarly with sleep, there's
  • 00:30:41
    uh a way that our brain is set to go
  • 00:30:44
    through stages of sleep through the
  • 00:30:46
    night. And so it's not just the amount
  • 00:30:49
    or the quantity, but it's also the
  • 00:30:51
    quality and sequencing of sleep and
  • 00:30:53
    ensuring that we're going through the
  • 00:30:55
    right
  • 00:30:55
    stages. Anyone who is consistently
  • 00:31:00
    feeling tired or still sleepy when it's
  • 00:31:02
    time for them to wake up in the morning
  • 00:31:05
    should get their sleep evaluated.
  • 00:31:08
    Whether it's just evaluating yourself
  • 00:31:10
    and saying, you know what, maybe I don't
  • 00:31:11
    need to watch all five episodes of Law
  • 00:31:14
    and Order before I go to sleep. Maybe I
  • 00:31:16
    need to go to sleep a little earlier. Or
  • 00:31:18
    it may be, you know what, I go to sleep
  • 00:31:21
    and I'm in bed for eight hours and I
  • 00:31:23
    wake up still feeling crummy. That tells
  • 00:31:26
    me that the quality of sleep that you're
  • 00:31:28
    getting may not be right. And perhaps
  • 00:31:29
    there's even a medical sleep disturbance
  • 00:31:32
    that needs to be addressed. Well, if
  • 00:31:33
    somebody is having those problems, they
  • 00:31:35
    can go back and look at at our podcast.
  • 00:31:37
    We have covered this several times with
  • 00:31:39
    Dr. Fulberry Schaefer on sleep hygiene
  • 00:31:41
    and just how to get good sleep habits.
  • 00:31:44
    So there's a wealth of information there
  • 00:31:46
    if somebody is struggling with that and
  • 00:31:48
    they want some information. Um I have
  • 00:31:51
    read so many of her commentaries in
  • 00:31:54
    articles and so forth. So uh glad to
  • 00:31:56
    hear you say that. She's fabulous. We
  • 00:31:58
    love having her on and and just I every
  • 00:32:02
    time I feel like I sleep better the next
  • 00:32:03
    the next that night after I talk to her
  • 00:32:06
    because you just start building good
  • 00:32:08
    habits. Um this doing this podcast is
  • 00:32:10
    going to turn me into like one of the
  • 00:32:12
    healthiest people on earth. I'm I'm
  • 00:32:13
    convinced of it. Which which then nicely
  • 00:32:17
    leads us into our final thing which is
  • 00:32:18
    just overall health. Um which just it
  • 00:32:22
    seems like a a rather large tent. But it
  • 00:32:25
    seems like everything in our body um
  • 00:32:28
    your your heart, your lungs, whatever,
  • 00:32:30
    it eventually affects your brain, right?
  • 00:32:32
    Absolutely. Uh so chronic health
  • 00:32:35
    conditions, chronic unwwellness is not
  • 00:32:38
    good for the brain. Probably both on a
  • 00:32:40
    physical level. So, you know, if you're
  • 00:32:43
    not getting enough oxygen to your brain,
  • 00:32:44
    your brain's not going to do well. But
  • 00:32:46
    also, the the feeling of not feeling
  • 00:32:49
    well is not good for the brain either.
  • 00:32:51
    Uh, some of the particularly important
  • 00:32:54
    effects that have been found are for
  • 00:32:56
    high blood pressure,
  • 00:32:58
    diabetes, depression, or what's formerly
  • 00:33:01
    called major depressive disorder. Um,
  • 00:33:04
    and then, uh, chronic health impairing
  • 00:33:07
    habits such as a sedentary lifestyle.
  • 00:33:09
    So, not getting that exercise, that
  • 00:33:11
    social interaction, uh, smoking, uh, and
  • 00:33:14
    heavy alcohol use. Yeah, it's amazing.
  • 00:33:17
    All of these pillars, I mean, they're
  • 00:33:18
    all their own their own things, but they
  • 00:33:21
    all seem like they interconnect, too.
  • 00:33:23
    It's very hard to separate the brain
  • 00:33:25
    from the body, and it is hard to
  • 00:33:26
    separate these pillars from one another.
  • 00:33:28
    It's unusual to find someone, for
  • 00:33:31
    example, who is exercising 30 minutes a
  • 00:33:34
    day, yet never goes to their primary
  • 00:33:37
    care doctor. you know, and it's it's
  • 00:33:38
    strange to find someone who uh is really
  • 00:33:41
    paying close attention to their sleep
  • 00:33:44
    quality and quantity and yet is eating a
  • 00:33:46
    poor diet. Uh I'm not sure whether some
  • 00:33:49
    people are just predisposed toward
  • 00:33:51
    healthful habits. I suspect though that
  • 00:33:55
    it's more that once you start getting
  • 00:33:57
    one of these areas under better control,
  • 00:34:01
    uh you start looking for other ways to
  • 00:34:04
    optimize your health because you do
  • 00:34:06
    actually feel better and it is actually
  • 00:34:08
    rewarding. And once you get into the
  • 00:34:11
    habit, it becomes much less of a a
  • 00:34:15
    workload, much less of a burden to
  • 00:34:18
    continue that habit. And so you look for
  • 00:34:21
    something else that might be helpful for
  • 00:34:23
    you. And that's what I love about about
  • 00:34:25
    all these pillars and everything that we
  • 00:34:26
    just kind of went over. Um they all seem
  • 00:34:30
    very attainable. I mean, this isn't
  • 00:34:31
    something where where you need to climb
  • 00:34:33
    to the top of Mount Everest to to find
  • 00:34:35
    the secret. Um these are all things that
  • 00:34:38
    we can work into our daily lives and
  • 00:34:40
    just how we go about um just spending
  • 00:34:43
    our days. Yeah. Uh, another thing, I
  • 00:34:46
    probably say this too many times, but
  • 00:34:48
    another thing that I've told patients
  • 00:34:51
    and and their
  • 00:34:52
    families, what I'm telling you is no
  • 00:34:55
    different from what our grandparents and
  • 00:34:57
    parents told us, right? Uh, go to
  • 00:35:00
    They're always right. The older I get,
  • 00:35:03
    the more I realize they were always
  • 00:35:05
    right because there are some fundamental
  • 00:35:08
    things that are good for the human
  • 00:35:10
    organism. And you know
  • 00:35:12
    we now have uh scientific data that
  • 00:35:16
    backs this up and we're starting to
  • 00:35:17
    understand some of the mechanisms but
  • 00:35:20
    fundamentally it's not that these are
  • 00:35:22
    new discoveries. Uh rather we're
  • 00:35:25
    discovering more about where the
  • 00:35:27
    thresholds are. Uh we're discovering in
  • 00:35:30
    more detail you know what what does eat
  • 00:35:32
    a good diet mean? Well well we have a
  • 00:35:35
    very good description of that now.
  • 00:35:37
    Exercise more or get enough exercise.
  • 00:35:40
    Well, what's enough? Well, we actually
  • 00:35:41
    have a very precise amount now. 150
  • 00:35:44
    minutes per week. So, uh really if you
  • 00:35:48
    are doing something that your
  • 00:35:49
    grandmother probably would disapprove
  • 00:35:51
    of, it's likely that it's not so good
  • 00:35:54
    for your health. So, let me ask you
  • 00:35:56
    this. If people make these changes, if
  • 00:35:59
    you kind of embrace the the these
  • 00:36:01
    lifestyle um this good lifestyle, do you
  • 00:36:04
    see those sort of changes um in in in
  • 00:36:08
    brain health then? like do you see it
  • 00:36:09
    pay off? Uh yes. So
  • 00:36:12
    um there are two ways in which I see
  • 00:36:15
    this pay off. One is that people come to
  • 00:36:18
    me asking for an assessment of how their
  • 00:36:22
    brain is doing. They're not noticing any
  • 00:36:24
    specific cognitive problems or maybe
  • 00:36:26
    they're noticing that you know they're
  • 00:36:28
    not as fast or they can't multitask the
  • 00:36:30
    way that they used to. I explained that
  • 00:36:32
    these may be normal uh changes of brain
  • 00:36:34
    aging but people who come to me and have
  • 00:36:38
    uh maintained these lifestyle habits
  • 00:36:41
    when we take a picture of their brain we
  • 00:36:43
    typically don't see uh damage from
  • 00:36:46
    vascular problems that we might see. We
  • 00:36:48
    don't see as much diffuse shrinkage of
  • 00:36:51
    the brain as we usually would. The
  • 00:36:53
    second category is people that come to
  • 00:36:56
    me who do have a memory problem uh who
  • 00:36:59
    have developed mild cognitive impairment
  • 00:37:02
    or dementia and folks who have been
  • 00:37:05
    maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Uh they
  • 00:37:08
    tend to have better outcomes. In other
  • 00:37:11
    words, they stay for a longer time in
  • 00:37:13
    those milder stages of dementia than
  • 00:37:16
    folks who have not been able to maintain
  • 00:37:18
    a healthy lifestyle. So, it's important
  • 00:37:20
    to point out that
  • 00:37:21
    there's there's no
  • 00:37:25
    absolute 100% way to prevent
  • 00:37:29
    degenerative brain disease. You can
  • 00:37:32
    reduce your risk substantially of
  • 00:37:34
    getting degenerative brain disease with
  • 00:37:36
    these lifestyle habits. However, even if
  • 00:37:39
    you are destined to get a brain disease
  • 00:37:41
    despite a healthy lifestyle, uh the
  • 00:37:44
    healthy lifestyle will enable you to
  • 00:37:47
    feel and function better for longer with
  • 00:37:50
    that brain disease than you would if you
  • 00:37:52
    weren't maintaining that lifestyle. C
  • 00:37:55
    can you turn things around? I if you do
  • 00:37:58
    start having um these cognitive declines
  • 00:38:01
    or is it just a matter if you if you
  • 00:38:02
    start embracing healthier habits maybe
  • 00:38:05
    you stop the decline? Uh you can
  • 00:38:08
    sometimes turn around the decline. It
  • 00:38:10
    depends on what amount of your decline
  • 00:38:13
    is related to these habits or not. So,
  • 00:38:15
    um was it yesterday or the day before? I
  • 00:38:18
    saw a patient who uh was drinking um
  • 00:38:23
    not, you know, uh not what we would all
  • 00:38:26
    all consider an excessive amount, but
  • 00:38:28
    she had been drinking more than she did
  • 00:38:33
    earlier in life. Um, between the first
  • 00:38:36
    appointment and the most recent
  • 00:38:38
    appointment, which is about 6 months,
  • 00:38:40
    she stopped drinking. And just with
  • 00:38:42
    that, her performance on our cognitive
  • 00:38:45
    screening test, which is a 30-point
  • 00:38:47
    test, went up by five points. Wow. And
  • 00:38:50
    she reported feeling much better,
  • 00:38:53
    thinking much better. Um, so for her,
  • 00:38:56
    clearly the drinking was a large
  • 00:38:59
    component. That's not the case for
  • 00:39:01
    everyone. But what we try and do is
  • 00:39:03
    optimize brain health. So that means
  • 00:39:05
    anywhere that we see a vulnerability um
  • 00:39:08
    anywhere we see a habit that may
  • 00:39:10
    increase your risk, anywhere we see
  • 00:39:12
    where you're not engaged in a habit that
  • 00:39:14
    might decrease your risk, we try and
  • 00:39:16
    adjust those because in some you will
  • 00:39:19
    end up with a better outcome than you
  • 00:39:21
    would. In some people that is really
  • 00:39:24
    reversing a prior trajectory of decline.
  • 00:39:27
    uh in other folks it is stabilizing or
  • 00:39:29
    slowing down decline and in other folks
  • 00:39:31
    it's going to be preventing decline from
  • 00:39:33
    occurring at all. You know, and I know
  • 00:39:35
    we talk about this often um on this
  • 00:39:37
    podcast that a lot of times with these
  • 00:39:39
    changes people can get can get
  • 00:39:40
    overwhelmed thinking about what you need
  • 00:39:43
    to do, but it often just comes down to
  • 00:39:45
    just making small manageable changes and
  • 00:39:48
    and slowly adjusting to to kind of
  • 00:39:51
    embrace these healthier habits. And if
  • 00:39:54
    you do it a little bit at a time, pretty
  • 00:39:56
    soon, you know, it just you're you're
  • 00:39:59
    doing it. Everything seems a little bit
  • 00:40:01
    better. Yes. Uh that that's a really
  • 00:40:04
    important point that it it can be easy
  • 00:40:06
    to become overwhelmed. And you know, I
  • 00:40:08
    give you this list of six pillars of
  • 00:40:10
    brain health. And you know, uh h I can't
  • 00:40:14
    do all of this. And and you can take it
  • 00:40:17
    slow. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
  • 00:40:20
    you. We're not tumbling towards
  • 00:40:22
    cognitive decline, but each day we make
  • 00:40:27
    decisions that can contribute to or
  • 00:40:30
    detract from brain health. Try and make
  • 00:40:33
    more decisions each day that contribute
  • 00:40:36
    to your overall brain health. So, you
  • 00:40:39
    know, today you may eat a salad instead
  • 00:40:42
    of a hamburger. Tomorrow you might eat
  • 00:40:44
    that hamburger again, but see if you can
  • 00:40:46
    make another decision, maybe to walk for
  • 00:40:49
    30 minutes that contributes to brain
  • 00:40:51
    health, right? And eventually you start
  • 00:40:53
    naturally making decisions that
  • 00:40:56
    contribute to brain health. But it it's
  • 00:40:59
    really important to start and to
  • 00:41:02
    persist. Well, my mind is feeling pretty
  • 00:41:04
    full after absorbing all of this
  • 00:41:06
    information, Dr. Wint. So, so I'm pretty
  • 00:41:09
    sure first of all that I've checked my
  • 00:41:10
    my metal fitness box um on the six
  • 00:41:13
    pillars list for today uh with with
  • 00:41:14
    learning new things. Uh but kind of
  • 00:41:17
    before we end the chat though um what's
  • 00:41:19
    what's the one thing you want our
  • 00:41:22
    listeners to take away from this podcast
  • 00:41:24
    uh when it comes to things they can do
  • 00:41:26
    to improve their brain health? I think
  • 00:41:29
    that very thing that there are things
  • 00:41:31
    you can do to improve your brain health
  • 00:41:34
    now and to improve your brain health in
  • 00:41:37
    the future and that those things are not
  • 00:41:41
    exotic. There are things that you have
  • 00:41:43
    control over. And so for those who are
  • 00:41:46
    out there feeling like um brain
  • 00:41:50
    disease is something that's inevitable,
  • 00:41:53
    you know, let's say it's in my family or
  • 00:41:55
    I'm already noticing some
  • 00:41:57
    effects. You can have influence over
  • 00:42:00
    this. And for some of you who are out
  • 00:42:03
    there, that influence will be to stop
  • 00:42:06
    brain disease in its tracks. Dr. went,
  • 00:42:09
    thank you so much for for I guess
  • 00:42:11
    showing us the power that we have to
  • 00:42:13
    kind of help uh help our own minds so we
  • 00:42:16
    can um I guess live live our best life
  • 00:42:19
    as as we age. Well, thank you so much
  • 00:42:21
    for the opportunity and uh I'm happy to
  • 00:42:24
    come back again anytime there are
  • 00:42:26
    questions or you want more detail. Oh,
  • 00:42:28
    we'll definitely have you back. Thanks a
  • 00:42:30
    lot, Dr. W. Have a have a great day.
  • 00:42:32
    Thank you. You too.
  • 00:42:37
    You need your brain to function and your
  • 00:42:39
    brain needs you to function at its best.
  • 00:42:42
    What you eat and drink, how much you
  • 00:42:44
    exercise, how well you sleep and manage
  • 00:42:47
    stress, and even friendships and efforts
  • 00:42:49
    to continue learning can keep your brain
  • 00:42:52
    humming along deep into your golden
  • 00:42:53
    years. Consider it something to think
  • 00:42:55
    about. If you liked what you heard
  • 00:42:57
    today, please hit the subscribe button
  • 00:42:59
    and leave a comment to share your
  • 00:43:00
    thoughts. Till next time, be well.
  • 00:43:06
    [Music]
الوسوم
  • brain health
  • neurodegenerative diseases
  • Alzheimer's
  • Parkinson's
  • exercise
  • nutrition
  • sleep
  • social engagement
  • mental activity
  • lifestyle changes