Have you ever wondered if there were certain foods you could eat to boost brain power and prevent disease? In this episode, I go over 4 of the most beneficial foods that may boost memory and cognition and prevent disease like Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s and age related cognitive decline. These include coconut, walnuts, turmeric and green tea. Coconut acts as a secondary fuel source for the brain since it’s high in MCTs which are converted into ketones. This is crucial for patients with AD as researchers believe the disease is a form of insulin resistance. Walnuts offer potent antioxidant effects, fighting against oxidative stress in the brain. Turmeric acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory which may reduce the risk of neuroinflammation, another risk factor for AD, PD and age related cognitive decline. Finally, green tea may act as a chelator for built up iron and copper in the brain – yet another risk factor that researchers are now discovering.
*EDIT: Please note, in the episode I mentioned risk factors for AD include elevated iron plus elevated copper plus a diet rich in short chain fatty acids – which should have been saturated fatty acids.
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References
Chauhan, A., & Chauhan, V. (2020). Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health. Nutrients, 12(2), 550. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12020550
de la Rubia Ortí, J. E., García-Pardo, M. P., Drehmer, E., Sancho Cantus, D., Julián Rochina, M., Aguilar, M. A., & Hu Yang, I. (2018). Improvement of Main Cognitive Functions in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease after Treatment with Coconut Oil Enriched Mediterranean Diet: A Pilot Study. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 65(2), 577–587. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-180184
Mandel, S. A., Amit, T., Weinreb, O., Reznichenko, L., & Youdim, M. B. H. (2008). Simultaneous Manipulation of Multiple Brain Targets by Green Tea Catechins: A Potential Neuroprotective Strategy for Alzheimer and Parkinson Diseases. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 14(4), 352–365. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-5949.2008.00060.x
Small, G. W., Siddarth, P., Li, Z., Miller, K. J., Ercoli, L., Emerson, N. D., Martinez, J., Wong, K. P., Liu, J., Merrill, D. A., Chen, S. T., Henning, S. M., Satyamurthy, N., Huang, S. C., Heber, D., & Barrio, J. R. (2018). Memory and Brain Amyloid and Tau Effects of a Bioavailable Form of Curcumin in Non-Demented Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled 18-Month Trial. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(3), 266–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2017.10.010
