by Sara Gottfried, MD and Christopher Moulton, PhD We’ve been told that cognitive function in healthy individuals naturally declines with age. Or does it? Recent case series have brought this central tenet of the aging brain into question and suggest the hypothesis that cognitive decline may be more mutable than once believed. Dale Bredesen, MD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and collaborators have advanced a systems-based approach to address the factors that put the brain at…
by Sara Gottfried, MD and Christopher Moulton, PhD We’ve been told that cognitive function in healthy individuals naturally declines with age. Or does it? Recent case series have brought this central tenet of…
by Sara Gottfried, MD and Lewis Chang, PhD Media headlines have claimed that aspirin has no benefit for older adults. What’s the truth? Should we, as one major news website suggests, toss our aspirin? Aspirin is derived from the bark of several species of willow trees. It has been used for centuries for pain and inflammation. As a low-dose therapy, aspirin has been prescribed to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke based on the results of multiple…
by Sara Gottfried, MD and Lewis Chang, PhD Media headlines have claimed that aspirin has no benefit for older adults. What’s the truth? Should we, as one major news website suggests, toss our…
by Milene Brownlow, PhD In addition to their original use as an anticonvulsant treatment (explored in Part 1 of this blog series), ketogenic diets (KDs) are increasingly viewed as a promising metabolic therapy for other neurological conditions. But first, an important question: Are KDs neuroprotective because of the reduction in glucose and insulin levels or due to the presence of ketones? Answer: Both. On the one hand, chronic consumption of refined sugar and starches results in systemic inflammation in the…
by Milene Brownlow, PhD In addition to their original use as an anticonvulsant treatment (explored in Part 1 of this blog series), ketogenic diets (KDs) are increasingly viewed as a promising metabolic therapy…
by Milene Brownlow, PhD It is estimated that 5.7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).1 For decades, research efforts have targeted neuropathological features of the disease (amyloid plaques, tau dysregulation and tangle formation) with little success so far. Impaired brain glucose metabolism is an early hallmark of the disease.2 For instance, cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglu) utilization was found to be 13% lower in AD compared to healthy, young subjects.3 Conversely, brain ketone metabolism remains unchanged in mild…
by Milene Brownlow, PhD It is estimated that 5.7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).1 For decades, research efforts have targeted neuropathological features of the disease (amyloid plaques, tau dysregulation and tangle…
by Bianca Garilli, ND Every 65 seconds someone in the US develops Alzheimer’s disease (AD), resulting in approximately 5.7 million Americans currently living with this condition. These numbers are expected to rise dramatically over the next several decades with projections of nearly 14 million people living with AD by the year 2050 and an associated $1.1 trillion in healthcare costs.1 AD is the most common form of dementia, characterized by impaired cognitive capacity beyond what is considered part of “normal…
by Bianca Garilli, ND Every 65 seconds someone in the US develops Alzheimer’s disease (AD), resulting in approximately 5.7 million Americans currently living with this condition. These numbers are expected to rise dramatically…
by Bianca Garilli, ND Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of public health policy in most age groups, with the typical adult recommendation at > 150 minutes/week of aerobic exercise along with routine strength training or weight bearing exercise sessions. The benefits of consistent physical activity is well documented, including reducing risk of chronic illness and improving body mass index, weight and mood among other conditions. The role that regular physical activity plays in older adults, however, continues to expand…
by Bianca Garilli, ND Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of public health policy in most age groups, with the typical adult recommendation at > 150 minutes/week of aerobic exercise along with routine…
by Lewis Chang, PhD Decline in cognitive ability progresses over a long period of time and is a risk factor for dementia. The link between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and dementia has been well documented. Mechanistically, T2D may directly induce amyloid accumulation and indirectly increase microvascular disease of the central nervous system. However, the link between T2D and cognitive decline is much less clear. HbA1c, a biomarker that reflects blood glucose levels over a prior 2-3 month time frame, is…
by Lewis Chang, PhD Decline in cognitive ability progresses over a long period of time and is a risk factor for dementia. The link between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and dementia has been…
Artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) are non-caloric soft drinks sweetened by non-nutritive sweeteners instead of sugars. For consumers interested in losing weight, improving glycemic control, or simply reducing sugar consumption, ASBs are thought to be healthier alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages. However, epidemiological evidence has begun to show that ASBs are by no means harmless. For example, the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study—two large-scale cohort studies conducted by the School of Public Health at Harvard University—found that consumption of ASBs…
Artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) are non-caloric soft drinks sweetened by non-nutritive sweeteners instead of sugars. For consumers interested in losing weight, improving glycemic control, or simply reducing sugar consumption, ASBs are thought to…
by Kara Fitzgerald, ND It is plain myth that there is nothing that can be done to prevent, slow or even reverse the progress of cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s Disease. The Institute for Functional Medicine held a 3-day international conference earlier this month, attended in droves, diving into the body of evidence that demonstrates this, and we also just really appreciate the work of Dr. Dale Bredesen and his team from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging who are showing that mild-to-moderate…
by Kara Fitzgerald, ND It is plain myth that there is nothing that can be done to prevent, slow or even reverse the progress of cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s Disease. The Institute for Functional…
by Bianca Garilli, ND A Presidential Advisory on brain health was recently released by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association in September 2017. The goals of the publication were to provide a definition of “optimal brain health” in adults, and guidance on how to maintain brain health through the years. From these data, the following 7 metrics were brought forward as steps to implement for improving brain health where ideal brain health was defined as “having an optimal capacity to…
by Bianca Garilli, ND A Presidential Advisory on brain health was recently released by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association in September 2017. The goals of the publication were to provide a definition…