What Brain Health Experts Are Talking About Right Now: Science Updates from Brain Week 2026

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Welcome to the Let's Talk Brain
Health podcast, a public health

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educational initiative of the
virtual Brain Health Center.

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I'm your host, Doctor Crystal
Color, and I'm so glad you're

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here.
On this podcast, I sit down with

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incredible guests to explore all
things brain health and

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Wellness.
Together, we'll talk about how

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to care for your total brain
health, mind, body, and spirit

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while sharing the latest brain
Health Science practical tips

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and strategies you can use
everyday.

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By prioritizing your brain
health, you're taking an

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important step towards living a
happier, healthier life.

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So let's dive in and welcome
today's guest.

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Welcome to a special Brain Week
event.

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Let's talk brain Health Science
updates from the expert.

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This hour is about progress.
Brain science does not stand

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still.
New data reshapes how experts

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think about prevention,
nutrition, cognition, and whole

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person brain care.
You deserve updates based on

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where the evidence stands now.
Each guest here has joined this

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podcast before.
Tonight we move the conversation

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forward.
What looks stronger in the

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research?
What is still uncertain, What

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people need to pay attention to
right now?

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You will hear from a
preventative neurologist, a

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neuropsychologist, leaders in
the mind, diet and nutrition, an

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expert in 40 herp sensory
stimulation, and a gerontologist

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focused on clinical
aromatherapy.

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Different fields.
One goal, Better brain function

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across the lifespan.
I'm joined this evening by my

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podcast Co host, Dr. Jonathan
Arts, MD to guide this

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discussion and keep the focus on
practical translation of

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science.
Now let's start with what's new

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in brain health with our first
guest.

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So I'd like to welcome Doctor
Kellyanne Niotis.

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He's the first fellowship
trained preventive neurologist

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in the United States.
She specializes in personalized

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risk reduction for
neurodegenerative diseases such

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as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and
Lewy body dementia.

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She's LED prominent prevention
programs, directed research and

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early detection and risk
reduction, and continues to

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advance how clinicians think
about brain health before

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disease onset.
Kellyanne, first question, what

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early brain related symptoms or
health changes do you wish more

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adults would take seriously?
Yeah, thank you for having me.

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Really excited to be here and
speak to everyone.

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I think a lot of people wait for
very dramatic symptoms like

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memory loss or a movement issue
like tremor before they seek

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care from a neurologist or their
doctor.

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But brain health changes usually
happen gradually over years, and

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one of those changes that a lot
of adults don't recognize could

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be related to something more
serious is a declining sense of

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smell.
The olfactory system is closely

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connected to brain regions that
are involved specifically with

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memory, and a reduced sense of
smell can happen years before

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symptoms of diseases like
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

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Of course not diagnostic on its
own, loss of sense of smell can

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happen from a multitude of
diseases and not diseases even

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easy head trauma or trauma to
that area can cause it.

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But in someone who has risk
factors like I risk genes or

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family history, it could be an
important neurological clue.

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And I always say that early
signals are opportunities for us

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to intervene do.
You want to comment briefly

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about sleep?
Yeah, sure, it's hard to pick

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just one early morning sign,
right?

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Sleep is really a big area.
Whether we talk about just sleep

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disturbances, we know that could
be a harbinger of something more

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serious to come, a sleep
fragmentation.

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But when we think about diseases
like Lewy body dementia and

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Parkinson's disease, there's one
specific warning sign that may

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indicate something more serious,
and that's REM sleep behavior

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disorder, or RBD.
This isn't simply just talking

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in your sleep.
This is really violent, often

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violent dream enactment where
people will scream, yell, punch,

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move around a lot in their
sleep.

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They may injure themselves.
They may injure their bed

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partners.
This can occur 20 years before

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the onset of obvious Parkinson's
or Lewy body, and the predictive

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value of having this is very
high.

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Of course, there are some other
things like medications that may

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cause it, but if anyone
listening is experiencing one of

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these symptoms and their bed
partner has commented on it, it

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could be a sign that you should
get that checked out more

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seriously because it could mean
something for you later in life.

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Kellyanne, where do you see the
biggest gap right now between

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what prevention science shows
and what adults are still doing

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in real life?
Yeah, I think that even though

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science in this space is hitting
more of the popular media

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outlets, I keep getting Apple
news notifications on this

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topic, which is exciting because
10 years ago we'd never hear

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anything about it.
We do still hear often from many

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adults that diseases like
Alzheimer's are completely

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genetic and there's nothing that
you can do about it.

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I think for many of us listening
to this and many of us on this

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call, it's hard to imagine that
people still think that way

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because we're so neck deep in
this space and surrounded by

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like minded individuals that
understand.

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That's not necessarily true.
But walking my dog and speaking

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to my neighbors and talking to
them about what I do?

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Most adults don't realize things
like their cholesterol or their

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metabolic health or their diet
or their exercise actually move

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the needle when we think about
lowering risk of

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neurodegenerative diseases.
And given that there seems to be

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an evolution, if not month after
month, definitely within a year

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or even in the last few years
with prevention strategy for

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neurodegenerative diseases of
the brain, where do you think

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the strongest support for
evidence is in terms of the

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biggest change in prevention
strategies in the last few

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years?
This is an easy one for me.

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I think it's hard to believe
that it wasn't until 2024 that

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elevated LDL cholesterol was
recognized as a modifiable risk

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factor for dementia.
This is something that we've

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been working with our patients
on for more than a decade

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because we understand the
connection between elevated LDL

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cholesterol and having a
specific high risk gene called

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APOE 4, which is the most
significant genetic risk factor

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for Alzheimer's disease.
It's refreshing to see that the

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evidence is so strongly showing
us that what's good for the

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heart is actually good for the
brain too.

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And I think, again, another
thing most adults don't realize,

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they think that they're taking a
statin for prevention of a heart

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attack, but really they can also
think about it as preventing

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potential neurodegenerative
disease too.

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I think the science is more and
more showing us that the heart

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and the brain are intricately
connected and we can't separate

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the 2.
I just want to make one

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additional comment because Kelly
and I are both neurologists.

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I would say even this happened
either in the last week.

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Patients often say doctor,
should I take a statin, My LDL

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is normal.
So Kelly, I'm based on what you

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know and you definitely keep up
with the literature.

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There's this thought or this
ongoing belief that statins can

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worsen cognition.
What's your feeling about the

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risk of causing as this
anti-inflammatory effect to

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reduce risk versus its potential
to cause cognitive issues as a

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side effect?
Yeah, there is a lot published

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on this.
I will say that the quality of

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the studies we have isn't so
great.

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There's a lot of conflicting
evidence out there.

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Some studies will say that there
potentially could be a

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neurocognitive harm.
The majority show that statins

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lower risk of dementia later in
life.

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Again, not perfectly designed
studies, but that's where the

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evidence is showing.
Regardless of statin versus non

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statin, I think the decision to
lower LDL cholesterol by any

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means, whether that's using a
statin or PCSK 9 inhibitor or

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Zetia, we have lots of options.
If you happen to be one of these

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people who experiences brain fog
on a statin, then it's not the

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medication for you.
We have other options for you.

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So anyone that's afraid of it,
I'm not afraid of it.

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I generally think it's a good
medication for a lot of people,

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but I always take a personalized
approach and think about the

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patient in front of me and look
at a lot of different markers to

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decide if it's the right drug
for this person.

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Thanks.
Yeah.

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Kellyanne, thank you so much for
joining us on giving us an

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update from where our last
conversation was with you and

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where the current science fits
in brain health.

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And I'm excited to continue the
conversation with our next

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guest.
Doctor Mitch Klonosky is a board

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certified clinical
neuropsychologist with decades

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of experience evaluating and
treating cognitive aging, memory

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disorders, concussions and
neurological conditions.

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He Co developed a widely used
cognitive assessment tools and

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co-authored work on dementia
prevention grounded in clinical

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observation and scientific
evidence.

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Welcome back Doctor Mitchell
Klonoski to the podcast and our

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conversation again on Brain
Week.

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You've been a wonderful friend
to us here at the Virtual Brain

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Health Center as well as a rich
resource us in this area of

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dementia prevention since we
last talked.

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What has new science clarified
about very early cognitive

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changes before diagnosis?
Wow, big area.

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And first of all, it's a tough
act to follow, Kellyanne.

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I'm going to do my best early
intervention, early

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understanding I think is really
key.

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And we're going back now looking
in childhood kinds of factors

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that could later cause changes
in someone's dementia

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probability.
One of the important things goes

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back as far as prenatal
vitamins, prenatal health for

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mothers looking at early
childhood education, something

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published in the journal
Neurology a month ago.

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The title is associations of
lifetime cognitive enrichment

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with incident Alzheimer's
disease, dementia, cognitive

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aging and cognitive resilience.
And what they find is you want

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your kid to grow up and be a
healthy adult throughout their

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life.
Teach them a second language,

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get them involved in music
lessons, bring in reading

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materials, stimulate their
thinking, get them in head start

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if that's part of your
socioeconomic background that

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you take advantage of that.
But there's a lot of things we

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should start doing and continue
throughout our lives.

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I think that lifelong learning
and lifelong mental stimulation

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is critical, and we're now
really appreciating that.

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So that's really a wonderful
thing.

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The other thing is being able to
separate early symptoms that are

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concerning from early symptoms
that might be totally normal.

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Can't tell you the number of
patients that come in to see me

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with the question.
I lost my car in the parking

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lot.
Am I losing my brain?

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And part of this is really
exciting because within the next

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month or so, we are publishing a
virtual home version of the

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Memory Orientation Screening
test, a test that we developed

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25 years ago that has been used
by hundreds of doctors to detect

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early signs of cognitive loss.
And we're actually using a

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virtual testing assistant so
people can take this test at

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home.
It's going to be called the

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Brain Doc test.
So that's my teaser for what's

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coming out just probably one
month to six weeks from now.

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And I'm hoping to come back and
talk with your audience about

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that and how they can get a hold
of it.

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Thank you so much for sharing
that update with us.

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And want to ask now, what trend
are you seeing in cognitive

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aging patterns that the public
is not hearing enough about from

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your perspective?
Because I know you are one of

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the people that stay on top of
this.

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Because when I follow you and
see your social media, I think

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you're one of the ones that
brings the alarm that says, hey,

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pay attention to this.
Or also that's smoke and there's

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nothing there when you get down
to the end of it.

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This might sound sensational,
but really don't be concerned

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here.
But over here, yes, you should

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be concerned.
So what do you want us to know

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this evening?
Personalization, I think is

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really important.
I think it's something that

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Kellyanne also has really
focused on, is that one size

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does not fit all in cognitive
health.

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You need to understand where
your risk factors are.

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Is it your uncontrolled
diabetes?

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Is it the fact that even at this
age you're still at a stage of

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life, you're still smoking
cigarettes, you're drinking

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excessively?
What about those over the

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counter anticholinergic
medications you're taking to go

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00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,920
to sleep or to deal deal with
anxieties?

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00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,160
So you're taking things with
diphenhydram in them that are

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suppressing your cognitive
function.

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00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:20,240
So getting an individualized
kind of assessment to figure out

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00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:22,160
where your strengths and
weaknesses are.

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00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,120
I think it's much more important
than one-size-fits-all.

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00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,000
Every time there's something new
that says one-size-fits-all,

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00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,680
this is the key.
And it's on a headline that I

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00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:33,360
can click on.
I'm always suspicious of it

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00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,480
because I don't think that it
works that way.

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00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:38,320
I really think that it has to be
very individually tailored.

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00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:41,840
Couple things that are really
exciting me, one is the emphasis

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on hearing impairment and
identifying that and treating it

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00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:50,880
because you can really improve
people's cognition as well as

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prevent decline.
If you identify even A10 disable

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hearing loss, double S the risk
of dementia, that's really

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exciting.
Sleep apnea is a really

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important subject for me.
And most recent research

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00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:10,760
published late in 2024 using
Framingham Heart Study and five

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00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:15,840
other centers that followed
normal people aged 58 and older

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00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,400
who came in, they had 6000 of
them and they found out that 50%

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of them had sleep apnea. 50% of
them were not breathing well

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00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,320
while they were sleeping.
And when you don't get enough

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00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,600
air down in your lungs, you
don't get enough oxygen to your

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brain.
And it disrupts deep stage 3

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00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:38,800
sleep, meaning that the
glyphatic clearing is not

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00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:42,080
happening, essentially coming in
at night while you're sleeping

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and washing out the toxins that
build up during the brain.

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And this is a very treatable
condition.

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So there's a lot of exciting
stuff I see out there.

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And I'm glad you're highlighting
that.

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I want to make sure I give you a
chance, though, as someone that

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00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:59,200
stays on top of this and you've
dedicated your career to this

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00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,800
area of dementia prevention and
bright health.

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Is there any area that you want
to debunk for us before we close

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00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:08,200
out our conversation this
evening?

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Yes, that elephant on TV that
says there are three areas of

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00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:16,720
memory and that this vitamin
fixes those?

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00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:20,000
Forget about it.
The guy who says since I've been

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00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,480
taking this, I think better to
have more the previgen

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00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:25,440
commercials.
Forget about it.

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00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,120
The stuff that you're seeing on
those commercials.

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00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:33,120
It's billion dollar industry is
not proven in people and that's

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00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:36,080
the key here.
Ask them for the data.

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00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:41,440
Show me the research I want to
see in people that it makes a

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00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,560
difference in cognition.
Don't tell me it supports brain

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00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:46,560
health.
I support brain health.

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00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,320
Send me the money.
I'm going to just close with the

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00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,960
one thing I love that you
recently posted where someone

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00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,400
just asked you of I'm stealing
your lie, when they're like, who

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00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,440
do you follow?
And you say, I follow the

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00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,480
science.
And I think that's something

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00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,600
that everyone should take away
from this conversation if they

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00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:07,560
can, of anything around brain
health and Wellness, that if

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00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:12,480
you're going to follow anything
to please follow the science.

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00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:16,440
And now we're going to continue
the conversation of following

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00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,760
the science around the Mind Diet
with our next guest.

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00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:24,440
So I'd like to welcome back
Maggie Moon, who is a

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00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,560
multifunctional registered.
She's a nutritionist and a

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00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:30,400
dietitian.
There's some people that are 1,

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00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,800
some people the other, but she's
both and she's really well known

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00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:35,840
for both.
She's a Columbia University

295
00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,720
educated, culinary trained
dietitian and brain health

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00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,680
nutrition specialist.
She's the author of the second

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00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:46,360
edition of the Mind Diet, which
I believe came out December 3rd

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00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:50,440
or 4th of 2024.
I strongly believe in the diet.

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00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,040
She'll comment more about that
and she's a trusted voice on

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00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,600
diet patterns influencing
cognitive resilience and

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00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,320
neurodegenerative risk.
In addition, she's consulted for

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00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,560
government agencies, national
nonprofits, global brands,

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00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,280
serves on multiple expert
advisory boards.

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00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:13,640
She actually has extreme multi
decade experience in nutrition

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00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:17,000
and dietary effects or
initiatives related to brain

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00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,599
health.
So welcome back Maggie and get

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00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:23,560
this started.
Since we last spoke, what has

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00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:27,280
the new nutrition research
clarified about diet patterns

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00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,080
and dementia risk?
I just finished updating a

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00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:34,280
textbook chapter on medical
nutrition therapy for neurologic

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00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:38,120
disorders and wow, a lot has
been updated.

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00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:41,320
It's a track changes chapter and
I think 95% of it is red.

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00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:44,320
But before we jump in, I just
want to say what a full circle

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00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:46,240
moment this is.
Crystal John.

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00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:49,920
We met a handful of years ago.
Since then, John wrote the

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00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:52,680
foreword to the second edition.
So thank you.

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00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,120
So just great to be here with
you both.

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00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:57,880
Again, I just really appreciate
the community that you've

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00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,440
created around brain health for
all.

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00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,720
And in terms of what is new, if
the research on diet and

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00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,920
dementia over let's say 10 years
ago was intriguing new shared on

322
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:12,720
let's say an AM radio station,
we now have a signal that is far

323
00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:14,520
from faded based on all this new
data.

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00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:16,640
So now it's more like it's on FM
radio.

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00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:20,320
There's just superior signal
quality and stability.

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00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,080
And I want to share three key
things on this.

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00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:25,920
We now have enough research that
we can do a meta analysis of

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00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:30,800
what are the cohesive findings
of multiple of these studies put

329
00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,800
together because one study with
positive results is good.

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00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,440
But show me science on multiple
studies, do they all point in

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00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:38,360
the same direction?
That's better.

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00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,800
A JAMA study, the Journal of
American Medical Association put

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00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,640
together a meta analysis that
included over 225,000

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00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:47,680
participants total.
This is observational, but it

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00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,040
did find the overall that the
MIND diet and closer adherence

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00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:54,080
to the MIND diet is associated
with that lower risk of dementia

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00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:57,960
in middle-aged and older adults.
And I also want to say the

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00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:02,440
second thing is that a multi
ethnic study cohort in 2025

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00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,800
found that there were benefits
across 5 different racial and

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00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,560
ethnic groups that were included
in that cohort.

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00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,960
That was over 45,000
participants.

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00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,400
That paper just came out in
October 25.

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00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:18,600
It was presented at a conference
earlier in 25 and it found that

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00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,560
following the MIND diet,
gradually adhering more to it

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00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:27,200
over a 10 year span, overall
lower the risk of incident

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00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:31,560
dementia by 11 to 25%.
Especially if we started before

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00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:33,920
we were 60.
And we know that midlife period

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00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,200
is really important.
So this happened across cohorts,

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00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,600
but it was less pronounced in
Asian American and Native

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00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,480
Hawaiian populations.
And the reason I want to point

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00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,920
that out is that the US mind
diet scoring system might not be

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00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,320
as sensitive to some of these
other dietary patterns.

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00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,240
There might be foods that are
being eaten in those traditions

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00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,280
that are very brain healthy but
don't show up on the mind diet

355
00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,840
scoring pattern, like more
mushrooms and more green tea and

356
00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:00,960
things like that.
Even though we saw a result, it

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00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:02,720
wasn't as strong in those
populations.

358
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:07,200
But we do have clinical data
from Korea and China where

359
00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,560
they've done a culturally
adapted diet.

360
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,120
Version of the MIND Diet showing
those positive results.

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00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:16,120
So I just want to share that's
maybe why the findings were not

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00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:17,760
so strong, but we've got other
data.

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00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:22,400
So we've got consistency, we've
got affecting benefits for

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00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:25,440
multiple races and ethnicities.
And the third thing I want to

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00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:28,320
share is resilience data.
And this may be the most

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00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:32,600
exciting thing because we've had
accumulating data on prevention

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00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:34,640
and now we have data on
resilience.

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00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,720
And this was a missing piece.
This was a gap in the data and

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00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,840
this is about looking at people
with Alzheimer's pathology

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00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:44,080
already.
So what we found in the last few

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00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,960
years is that people who
followed the MIND diet more

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00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:51,600
closely, that was associated
with less pathology, but also

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00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:56,200
higher cognitive function and
slower decline over time even

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00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:59,560
despite the pathology.
So better cognitive function

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00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,000
than you would expect based on
the pathology.

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00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,320
So just this evidence of
something we do everyday eat

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00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:07,760
affecting our cognitive
resilience.

378
00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:11,200
So diet quality over time
matters more than being perfect

379
00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,280
on any given moment is the one
thing I want people to take away

380
00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,680
from that.
And it's hard to overdose on the

381
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,800
mind diet, is it?
Exactly.

382
00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,640
I'm not going out there telling
people stop eating vegetables,

383
00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:23,520
you've had enough.
No one's doing that.

384
00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:26,240
Anyway, this just came to my
mind because it's I guess the

385
00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,880
calorie load you could have a
problem with that, but otherwise

386
00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:32,240
staying away from the bad stuff
and eating more of the good

387
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,600
stuff.
So what is one brain food trend

388
00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,600
you're watching closely that's
either promising or being over

389
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:41,160
hyped?
OK.

390
00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:44,280
I watch a lot of trends.
I want to give one short term

391
00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:46,320
trend and a couple of longer
term trends.

392
00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:50,640
So promising mushrooms from
ergathionine to herosinones in

393
00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:53,000
some of the functional
mushrooms, they may be a key

394
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,960
element of brain healthy diets.
I'm watching that space.

395
00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,600
We have emerging data.
So I would stay tuned on

396
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:02,400
mushrooms promising as a dietary
inflammatory index being used in

397
00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:04,320
research.
I think it's a really promising

398
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,400
predictive tool that may level
the playing field across

399
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,800
different cultural cuisines and
then promising the mind that's

400
00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:15,360
being tested in the ABCD cohort.
So the adolescent brain

401
00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:18,120
cognitive development study in
nine to 12 year olds.

402
00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:20,600
So I'm watching that, but of
course, we're not going to know

403
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,640
for a few years any findings.
And then in terms of what is

404
00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:27,720
being overhyped, I want to agree
with Mitchell that single

405
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,520
nutrient brain supplements, I'm
not really here for that.

406
00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:33,160
I'm watching that with caution
because I always do want to keep

407
00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,760
an open mind, but I want to see
when they'll be helpful in

408
00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:41,360
filling real gaps in overall
dietary pattern Value.

409
00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:43,760
The pattern.
Not perfection, but it is about

410
00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:45,840
the pattern and last thing to
pop.

411
00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:49,000
On the mushrooms, is it better
to prepare mushrooms that are

412
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:53,480
warmed or heated versus eating
them cold or raw without heat?

413
00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:54,640
Yeah.
So what is?

414
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:56,600
Exciting about that is
Ergathionine.

415
00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:00,240
Is this incredibly stable
antioxidant?

416
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:02,800
So it's incredibly heat and
light stable.

417
00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:06,080
So we think that it really
survives.

418
00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:08,800
It survives cooking, which is a
great story for the mushrooms.

419
00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,400
So I think any way that you
enjoy mushrooms, the greater

420
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,080
variety the better.
Thank you, Maggie.

421
00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:18,000
For the update on the Mind Diet
and now we're going to pivot to

422
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,560
our next guest.
We have Doctor Richard Gold, who

423
00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:24,120
is back from very early seasons
of her podcast.

424
00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:28,480
He was actually the fan favorite
of Season 1 back to the first 10

425
00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,040
episodes of the Let's Talk Great
Health podcast.

426
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,440
Doctor Richard Gold is a
licensed acupuncturist and

427
00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:37,840
psychologist with extensive
training in East Asian medicine

428
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,120
and applied neuroscience.
A pioneer in integrating

429
00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:44,840
traditional feeling arts with
modern brain science and sensory

430
00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:49,120
therapies, he explores how
sound, rhythm and frequency,

431
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,560
including the key 40 Hertz
stimulation, interacts with

432
00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:57,400
cognition and Wellness.
Doctor Richard Gold, welcome

433
00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:00,080
back.
I am so excited to learn more

434
00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:04,600
about what has been updated in
this space and the research

435
00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:09,640
around 40 Hertz sensory
stimulation in the brain since

436
00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:13,040
we last spoke because I know I
get a lot of research updates

437
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:17,040
and I'm like a layman on the
outside looking in, just in this

438
00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:19,800
broader brain health space and
you're embedded in here.

439
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,200
What should we know?
I still want to.

440
00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:24,240
Hope to see you again, Crystal
and Jonathan.

441
00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:28,560
Actually on that question, there
is, I would say a dearth of

442
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:32,480
developments in controlled
studies, especially with human

443
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:34,880
beings.
The most dramatic studies are

444
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,360
still animal studies.
There's no real long term

445
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:42,480
studies that are being done.
There's anecdotal evidence, but

446
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:47,440
to really cite dramatic studies,
controlled studies, that's not

447
00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,400
really happening yet.
I would add that the discovery

448
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:56,640
of 40 Hertz gamma effect on
cognition and brain health is

449
00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:58,840
really quite new in
neuroscience.

450
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:02,960
It's only about a 10 year
discovery that first came out of

451
00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:07,800
MIT.
The lab at MIT in 2016, it was

452
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,240
determined that there was an
absence of 40 Hertz gamma

453
00:25:11,360 --> 00:25:15,160
pulsation in people with
dementia and Alzheimer's.

454
00:25:15,360 --> 00:25:18,840
So they work back from that
symptomatology or that discovery

455
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:21,480
and started to use sound and
light.

456
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,400
I wish I had more to share as
far as breakthroughs, surely the

457
00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:32,000
preliminary information that's
coming out and the ease of use

458
00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:36,720
and how it is not confined to
clinical environments or

459
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,800
ingesting, which is such a
variable with different body

460
00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:43,720
types and blood types that the
potential for sound healing,

461
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:48,080
especially this 40 Hertz gamma
for brain health is such a

462
00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:51,360
positive trend.
There's no toxic side effects.

463
00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:56,000
There's no particular dosages.
I would say one thing to keep in

464
00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,280
mind if you're going to consider
using 40 Hertz gamma in your

465
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:04,560
life, which I would highly
recommend is most of our music

466
00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:09,800
that we're listening to now is
MP3 files on streaming services.

467
00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:12,600
We can get 10,000 songs on a
phone.

468
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:16,480
They download like that and you
can see you think 40 Hertz gamma

469
00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,960
just raw sounds on YouTube.
The problem with that, even

470
00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:25,000
though MP3 algorithm is
brilliant, it strips a lot of

471
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:30,800
the data out of a music file.
It's a similar analogy to our

472
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,160
American diet where something or
Western diet, let's not just

473
00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:37,600
blame America, it's actually
global at this point where the

474
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,280
food will look the same, might
smell the same, it might taste

475
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:43,360
good or their attitudes might
even make it taste better to our

476
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:47,240
unrefined palates, but the
nutrition's just not there.

477
00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:53,400
A waiver CD file is equivalent
to ACD file or a vinyl file is a

478
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,960
much broader range of resonance
and vibration.

479
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:01,760
And since vibration is a
critical part of sound healing,

480
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,880
that if we're going to look at
the just the benefit, just in

481
00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,000
day-to-day life, if we're going
to do studies with sound, we

482
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,320
have to use the full spectrum of
sound it's in.

483
00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,680
The potential is there.
And this is an uphill climb

484
00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:19,320
because all the streaming
services are using MP3 except

485
00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:20,960
for a few.
There's something called Title,

486
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:24,600
which has wave files.
If you're really wanting to

487
00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:28,440
enrich your environment with
sound, think about using CD

488
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:31,240
quality.
Now you can download Wave from

489
00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,320
our site.
Some people still sell the CDs.

490
00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:37,800
What we've done with Metamind
Fluence Music, I'd like to add,

491
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:41,680
is a lot of people are
interested in 40 Hertz gamma

492
00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,160
sound.
If you go to YouTube and type in

493
00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:48,200
40 Hertz gamma sound for brain
health, you'll get a raw sound

494
00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:52,440
or you'll get an MP3.
Now raw sound or 40 Hertz gamma

495
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,400
is an annoyance.
You can't listen to it before

496
00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,240
more than a few minutes without
feeling annoyed.

497
00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:02,200
So what we've done is we've
created music that's composed in

498
00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:06,240
40 Hertz.
We have 40 Hertz drone activity.

499
00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,160
The instruments are tuned to 40
Hertz.

500
00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:11,840
And we also then use what's
known as binaural beats.

501
00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,880
Now binaural beats are popular.
There is some scientific

502
00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:19,280
evidence that supports efficacy
with them over just listening to

503
00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,240
sound.
In a nutshell, you're sending

504
00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:25,640
one frequency into one ear and
another frequency into another

505
00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:28,240
ear and the arithmetic
difference of those two

506
00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:32,040
frequencies is what the brain is
creating that vibration

507
00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:35,200
happening in the brain of the
listener only at that moment.

508
00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:39,640
For instance, if you want to get
40 Hertz, you could do 120 and

509
00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:44,760
80 here and the difference of
that is 40 and but that you need

510
00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,120
head headphones for that.
Just in summation, there's a

511
00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:51,240
dearth of research.
I would encourage that there's

512
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,480
some of the research is showing
that just flooding your zone

513
00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:58,080
with 40 Hertz sound and light is
beneficial.

514
00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,400
Whether it is going to cure
anything, I won't make a claim

515
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:04,720
of any of that sort.
In animal studies, we see that

516
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:08,720
the TALT proteins and amyloid
plaques are gone from brains.

517
00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:12,440
Mice that have been bred to have
Alzheimer's and dementia when

518
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,920
they euthanize the animal and
then study the brain.

519
00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:16,720
We don't have human studies like
that.

520
00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,320
Obviously they were not going to
kill someone and examine their

521
00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:23,880
brain.
We really want research that we

522
00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:27,000
want to participate in research.
There is research, I think,

523
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,800
being done at major universities
such as John Hopkins and MIT and

524
00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:35,040
University of Wisconsin and at
Berkeley, but we'll report more

525
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,040
about this in the future.
Thank you so much.

526
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,320
For giving us an update and also
the history to know that while

527
00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:44,760
this is an area that is cutting
edge in neuroscience, that it's

528
00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:48,680
still pretty much a newborn in
the area of about 10 years old

529
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,120
with the science, but things we
maybe see coming out, that does

530
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,080
have its limitations.
So I appreciate you telling us

531
00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:58,200
the limits.
What feels promising right now

532
00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:02,080
and where the field fits in
terms of evidence and what is

533
00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:04,560
catching up now.
I appreciate that.

534
00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:08,560
We're going to pivot to talk
about performance, nutrition and

535
00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:10,920
where we can go next with our
next guest.

536
00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:13,920
We'd like to welcome Doctor.
Jenna Steadman, who's a

537
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:17,320
doctorate train registered
dietitian and Clinical Nutrition

538
00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:20,720
expert focusing on performance,
nutrition and metabolic

539
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:22,920
influences on cognitive
function.

540
00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:26,760
She brings evidence informed
insights on how dietary

541
00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:31,000
patterns, macro nutrients and
metabolic health shape focused

542
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,040
mood and overall brain
performance.

543
00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:37,280
Since you were last on let's
talk brain health, Jenna what

544
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:41,680
has new research clarified about
fueling the brain for our

545
00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,400
cognitive performance.
That is a very.

546
00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:47,080
Excellent question, and
unfortunately the answer is not

547
00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,200
a whole lot.
There's been some really amazing

548
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:53,800
research coming out in
preventative measures that we

549
00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:57,400
can take for Alzheimer's, right,
looking into our older years.

550
00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,560
But unfortunately, we don't have
a lot of research looking at

551
00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:04,080
what's going on in our twenties,
30s and 40s, what we can be

552
00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:08,000
doing right now to help our
brain feel better tomorrow and

553
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:11,400
the next day and not only right
when we're 607080.

554
00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:14,880
So we haven't seen a lot.
We've had some kind of hinting

555
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:16,960
at things, right?
A lot of the studies we can say

556
00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,640
we're looking at things like the
mind diet, We look at these big

557
00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:21,880
lifestyle studies.
There's still a big debate

558
00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:24,880
between glucose and exogenous
ketones, things like that, which

559
00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:26,600
no one needs to go out and buy
those.

560
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,640
We don't think concrete yet, but
a lot of these kind of pieces

561
00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:32,520
that are saying, OK, if we're
doing these things now, it can

562
00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:35,800
certainly only help later.
And if we're doing them now,

563
00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:38,280
it's probably helping right now
too.

564
00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,760
But we don't have anything
really concrete in the last

565
00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,000
couple years saying eat this one
food.

566
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,120
Your brain will be doing so much
better the next day, the next

567
00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:49,880
couple weeks.
We've had studies in the last

568
00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:53,120
five years, 10 years, 15 years,
saying, hey, these kids who ate

569
00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,080
breakfast tested higher.
That's like a very popular thing

570
00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:59,680
that had been tested many times.
We've had some come out looking

571
00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:01,480
at college students, which has
been a little bit more

572
00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:03,760
interesting.
So we can extrapolate that age

573
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:05,240
range just like a little bit
more.

574
00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:07,240
We're not looking at a 12 year
old brain, we're looking at

575
00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:09,560
maybe like a 20 or 22 year old
brain.

576
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:13,000
So we can get some information
from that saying, OK, these kids

577
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,880
had grape juice, blueberries,
whatever antioxidant dose was

578
00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:20,400
and they tested higher or they
scored better, did whatever.

579
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,680
So we haven't had a tremendous
amount in the last year or two

580
00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,440
unfortunately.
But there's been a lot of really

581
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:28,880
interesting things that we've
been able to pull from other

582
00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:31,920
bigger lifestyle studies and
saying, look, if this is going

583
00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:35,080
to help us long term, probably
helping right now too.

584
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:38,080
Would you advise?
If people are getting ready to

585
00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:40,640
take a test, I'm going to just
mention what they're in.

586
00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:43,880
Middle school, high school,
college, after college.

587
00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:47,880
Just trying to remember
something or be better attuned,

588
00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:51,400
concentrate or focus better
based on what we know right now.

589
00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:54,600
Would you recommend caffeine?
And if you would, how much

590
00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:57,240
caffeine at a time?
So I'm very cautious.

591
00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:00,760
About this, because we have a
mixed bag of recommendations for

592
00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:02,840
caffeine.
We do know a lot about it, which

593
00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:04,720
is fantastic.
We know our safety limits.

594
00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,640
We don't want to go above 3 or
400 milligrams in a 24 hour

595
00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:10,680
period and there are only a
couple exceptions to that one,

596
00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,600
especially for all of my
athletes who use caffeine as an

597
00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:16,840
ergogenic aid.
We usually don't want to go

598
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:21,160
above the like 2345, maybe
sometimes 6, but usually it's no

599
00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:24,400
higher than the 5 milligrams per
kilogram of body weight and

600
00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:29,600
that's a specific dose, 30 to 40
minutes pre workout or pretest

601
00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:34,000
or however we're competing.
If someone is, I would say any

602
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:37,760
like my high schoolers or under,
I don't recommend caffeine

603
00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:39,760
usually.
We just don't have a lot of

604
00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,000
evidence saying that's something
that we need to be starting when

605
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:44,920
we're 14.
I think plenty of kids do start

606
00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,680
drinking iced coffees or
whatever things they're getting

607
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:50,720
at Dunkin' Donuts, but that's
not something I usually jump to

608
00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:52,840
that recommendation.
Usually a good breakfast the

609
00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:54,760
morning before.
Those carbohydrates are going to

610
00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:59,200
help them more than anything as
we get into college and beyond,

611
00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,160
right?
You have an interview in the

612
00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:04,720
morning or a test or you're
racing any kind of what I call a

613
00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:08,239
C P/E, a cognitive performance
event, anytime your brain is

614
00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:10,880
being challenged.
We do have great evidence that

615
00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:14,800
caffeine helps with focus and
attention and things like that.

616
00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:18,600
So it is something that I
typically experiment with any of

617
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:22,719
my clients and my athletes is
because some people are very

618
00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:26,040
sensitive caffeine, so just a
little bit does the trick for

619
00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:27,960
them, like a tea or something
like that.

620
00:34:28,199 --> 00:34:30,800
We know that we build up a
tolerance to caffeine over time.

621
00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,360
If we've been drinking coffee
for 1020 years, you're going to

622
00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:36,639
need a much higher dose to feel
that same effect.

623
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:39,600
I'm just curious.
Because this has evolved in the

624
00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:43,760
last at least two to five years
about all these energy drinks

625
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:46,719
that are on the market, there's
just numerous and numerous ones.

626
00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:50,440
Do you feel that's beneficial?
There's a lot of commercial,

627
00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:53,320
there's obviously marketing to
those Monster drinks, etcetera.

628
00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:54,719
There's just many of them out
there.

629
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:59,080
What's your feeling about that
kind of category for cognition?

630
00:34:59,240 --> 00:35:02,440
No, that's excellent because.
They're so popular, I'm hesitant

631
00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,680
to recommend any of them or even
any brands specifically because

632
00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:09,800
oftentimes what we see is it's
not just the dose of caffeine in

633
00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:11,800
there, which like yes, most of
the time that is going to be

634
00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:15,160
clearly labeled like this can
has 200 milligrams or whatever

635
00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:17,520
it is in it.
There's often other stimulants

636
00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:22,720
in it as well, and those are not
marked or regulated as the same

637
00:35:22,720 --> 00:35:24,280
as like a dose of caffeine would
be.

638
00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:26,760
So yes, you might know how many
milligrams of caffeine you're

639
00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:30,800
getting, but you don't always
know what taurine and like all

640
00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:34,560
these other things, how that
stimulant is also going to be

641
00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:36,560
layered, how that's going to
make you feel.

642
00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:39,360
So it's usually not something I
mess with.

643
00:35:40,240 --> 00:35:43,040
OK.
Just curious, what nutritional

644
00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:46,360
trend related to brain
performance are you watching

645
00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:49,720
closely by research in the last
year or so?

646
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,200
In the last couple years.
I've been more and more

647
00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:56,560
interested in creatine.
It's been very trendy recently,

648
00:35:56,560 --> 00:36:00,040
which is very exciting.
We've known that creatine does

649
00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:03,840
wonderful things for our
physical performance, and we've

650
00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:06,600
been piercing together
understanding how well it

651
00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,800
influences our cognition, which
is beautiful.

652
00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:14,120
That's probably the one piece
we've maybe seen over the last

653
00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:18,000
couple years is just a handful
of studies of this group of

654
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:23,240
younger adults took whatever
dose of creatine and they saw

655
00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:26,600
this cognitive improvement in
whatever they're doing.

656
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:28,400
They're usually very small
studies.

657
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:30,840
They're usually looking at
something very specific like

658
00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:35,000
alertness after basically no
sleep for 40 hours, something

659
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:37,240
like that.
So it's not really enough to say

660
00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:41,360
yes, every single adult human
must be taking mega doses of

661
00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:43,800
creatine every single day.
It's definitely going to help

662
00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:45,520
with our brains.
We don't really have enough

663
00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:49,120
there, but we have kind of
pieces of these studies that are

664
00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:51,840
hinting at that.
The other very cool thing that's

665
00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:55,200
coming out a little bit too, as
I do a lot with concussion and

666
00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:59,720
brain injury, I have service
members and football players and

667
00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:02,680
soccer players, high players,
all these very high concussion

668
00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,800
risk environments, They come in
and they want to try to prevent

669
00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:09,200
concussions.
And while we can't, there's no

670
00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:10,800
way to eat to prevent that,
right?

671
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:14,280
We have just a couple studies
that have been hinting at a

672
00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:18,080
daily dose of creatine may be
helping with a little bit of

673
00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:22,680
brain resilience so that when
that concussion, that MTDI

674
00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:26,200
happens, we may be seeing
reduced symptoms.

675
00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:29,160
We may be seeing a little bit of
protection because what's

676
00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:33,080
happening in that injury, right?
The brain goes into like crisis

677
00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:34,760
mode, right?
It's like energy crisis mode.

678
00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:37,640
So if we're providing it with
that dose of creatine, it looks

679
00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:40,640
like it might be helping with
that resilience and then

680
00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,000
recovery from.
So that's a really interesting

681
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:44,800
thing.
Again, we only have a handful of

682
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:46,760
studies so far.
That's going to be a really cool

683
00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:49,000
thing to be tracking over the
next 5-10 years.

684
00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:51,640
I actually have been asked this.
Question and people I see a lot

685
00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:55,520
of people with cognition issues
for whatever caused and I think

686
00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:59,440
it was 4G was 4 to 5 grams was
recommended at the most per day.

687
00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:02,120
But the other thing just for
listeners out there that you

688
00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:05,480
need to be concerned that your
creatinine level can actually go

689
00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:07,080
up.
So that's a marker of kidney

690
00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:08,640
function.
So actually if you're taking

691
00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:12,840
creatine, it can actually affect
your creatinine.

692
00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,120
So you have to want to do a
baseline kidney function test

693
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:18,680
with your primary care provider
because it'll look like you're

694
00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:20,880
potentially in mild renal
failure.

695
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:23,480
Yeah, we definitely don't want.
To be just taking like mega

696
00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:26,240
doses of creatine because Jenna
said so on a podcast.

697
00:38:26,240 --> 00:38:29,400
So check with your primary care
1st Doctor Jenna.

698
00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:32,880
Stedman for giving us the
updates around performance

699
00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:35,000
nutrition.
There's clearly this trend

700
00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:39,080
throughout all the conversation
of following the science of what

701
00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:41,240
we know and also where these
trends are going.

702
00:38:41,240 --> 00:38:44,120
It's going to be interesting to
see how this conversation can

703
00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:47,400
change in the next couple years,
even later this year where the

704
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:50,080
science is going to take us.
So thank you for sharing your

705
00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:54,240
expert insights with us today.
Next we have Patricia Foss is

706
00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:57,920
with us as a gerontologist and
clinical aroma therapist who

707
00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:01,320
bridges age science with
evidence guide sensory

708
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:03,800
therapies.
Her work highlights how sense

709
00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:07,520
and essential oil applications
can relate to mood regulation,

710
00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:11,920
stress reduction, and cognitive
well-being and aging population.

711
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:15,920
Welcome, Pat back to the podcast
as well as a friend of mine.

712
00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:18,880
One of the things the first
friends I made and this broader

713
00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:21,120
brain health space for too many
years.

714
00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:23,520
We're not not going to disclose
that here on the podcast.

715
00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:25,600
Thank.
You for coming.

716
00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:29,240
Back with us and being a friend
for many years here since we've

717
00:39:29,240 --> 00:39:32,240
last spoke.
I want to ask how has this

718
00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:37,840
evidence emerged around
aromatherapy and overall brain

719
00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:40,040
health?
Because your episode has also

720
00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:44,000
been among the top 10 in all of
the seasons since we've had.

721
00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:48,400
And I think the science around
aromatherapy has really been

722
00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:51,600
getting legs under it,
especially in this cognitive

723
00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:54,280
domain.
So tell us what we should know.

724
00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:58,080
I want.
To focus on a particular study,

725
00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:02,560
I just reviewed this the other
day, but it was a six month

726
00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:05,400
study.
It was on older people.

727
00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:09,840
They put oils through a
different oil every night for

728
00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:13,040
seven nights.
And they would diffuse that oil

729
00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:17,440
for two hours.
So they'd switch oils and they

730
00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:21,960
just repeated that process.
At the end of the process, there

731
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,600
was some significant memory
boosts.

732
00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:29,520
There was a 226% improvement in
cognitive capacity.

733
00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:32,960
And they were doing the mini
mantle, the MFSE.

734
00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:38,840
So it was interesting that all
of the recent studies I've been

735
00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:42,080
looking at have been happening
when people are sleeping.

736
00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:44,880
They're looking at how the brain
is working with the oils while

737
00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:48,760
they're sleeping.
This also translated into they

738
00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:53,400
did some neuroimaging and they
increased the integrity of the

739
00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:56,400
left.
Let me say this unisnate facet

740
00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,880
which is a brain pathway that
connects the emotional memory

741
00:40:59,880 --> 00:41:03,800
centers to the decision making
prefrontal cortex running these

742
00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:09,600
oils continuously, it's just a
low dose oil of aromatherapy

743
00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:13,040
exposure.
It made new connections.

744
00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:18,120
And then the same study in a
different article said that they

745
00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:22,160
used diffusion weighted imaging
to analyze bilateral changes in

746
00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:25,400
the white matter in the limbic
cystic regions of the brain.

747
00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:31,240
These two areas, the eucinate
fasciculus and the hippocampal

748
00:41:31,240 --> 00:41:35,400
cingulum of the brain or a
particular interest because of

749
00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:38,080
their documented association
with learning and memory.

750
00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:43,880
These oils are now taking on a
new life as far as brain health

751
00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:46,040
goes.
We're not just looking at

752
00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:50,640
working with the emotional
outbursts or trying to take care

753
00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:55,440
of some of the different.
You can't sit still or you

754
00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:57,760
can't.
The cognitive areas of just

755
00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:01,360
lighting up their brain a little
bit with some peppermint and

756
00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:05,280
some lemon or new studies are
really looking at how it's

757
00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:08,520
affecting the brain and I find
that to be really exciting.

758
00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:11,880
Thank you so much.
For giving us a highlight of

759
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:15,960
where the science is sitting,
the latest science, has anything

760
00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:20,320
shifted lately and how
aromatherapy is being used to

761
00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:23,720
support cognitive well-being
that you want to share with us

762
00:42:23,720 --> 00:42:27,800
tonight, the studies.
Are small, they're usually doing

763
00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:31,480
older people and they don't keep
their big crowd all the way to

764
00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:34,040
the end of the study.
So they end up having a small

765
00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:37,440
study.
But what they're finding is the

766
00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:42,240
increased cognitive capacity,
the ability to increase their

767
00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:44,360
learning and memory
capabilities.

768
00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:49,080
Also they're finding that
decline, cognitive decline is

769
00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:52,120
decreasing when they're using
oil.

770
00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:56,400
So it's slowing down.
That decline is a process

771
00:42:56,400 --> 00:43:00,840
through I'd looked at some of
the oils, the different

772
00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:05,200
mechanisms, but they're working
on antioxidant stress inhibition

773
00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:10,120
of neuro inflammation and that's
a big one is working to clear

774
00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:15,080
neuro inflammation suppression
of the inflammatory cytokines.

775
00:43:15,160 --> 00:43:20,360
Again, antioxidant stress pro
inflammatory mediators they're

776
00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:24,880
using and these are Rosemary
oil, ginger oil, lavender oil.

777
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:29,360
Some of their different chemical
components are what are really

778
00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:34,840
connecting to make a difference.
The antioxidant stress and the

779
00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:40,160
antineural inflammation are the
two biggest targets that these

780
00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:42,600
oils are starting to have an
effect on.

781
00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:47,480
And when you talk about brain
fog or your leftover from

782
00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:52,320
COVID-19 or any of the
dementias, neuroinflammation is

783
00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:55,920
just devastating for the brain.
And so if these oils are

784
00:43:55,920 --> 00:44:00,240
starting to have a real effect,
being able to tamp this

785
00:44:00,240 --> 00:44:04,160
neuroinflammation down, this
could be a game changer as far

786
00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:08,760
as working with declines, going
through the dementia or

787
00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:11,520
Alzheimer's process sounds like
this.

788
00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:13,440
Is something we need to stay
tuned on.

789
00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:18,080
It's starting to get in the
space when I started doing.

790
00:44:18,080 --> 00:44:19,720
This everybody just laughed
about it.

791
00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:23,600
It was, it was a matter of they
thought because it was wrong

792
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:27,920
with therapy, anybody could do
it work with their residents and

793
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:29,680
they were trying to work with
behavior.

794
00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:32,880
But the thing that they didn't
understand, it was the chemical

795
00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:37,200
composition of the oils.
And it actually, the oils became

796
00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:40,960
a pharmacology.
And the realization of what's

797
00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:45,440
actually happening when you're
using essential oils is gaining

798
00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:49,120
respect.
And I think that they're looking

799
00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:53,240
deeper at what the oils have a
capability of doing rather than

800
00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:56,400
just looking at, oh, they can
fall asleep with this, or we can

801
00:44:56,400 --> 00:45:01,040
wake them up with a certain oil,
or we can stop anxiety.

802
00:45:01,040 --> 00:45:04,960
But now they're really looking
at cognitive function, and I

803
00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:07,280
think that's really the most
exciting part about this.

804
00:45:07,720 --> 00:45:09,960
Thank you so much.
For sharing the update and

805
00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:13,480
highlighting that important part
about the essential oils, I'd

806
00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:16,760
like to remind everyone that
they can go back in the show

807
00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:20,400
notes below as well as in the
recap of the blog and revisit

808
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:23,200
all of the in depth
conversations that we've had

809
00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:26,880
with our panelists that took a
deeper dive into all of the

810
00:45:26,880 --> 00:45:29,720
topics this evening.
You've just heard the science

811
00:45:29,720 --> 00:45:33,520
updates from our panel experts.
Tonight was not just about

812
00:45:33,520 --> 00:45:35,640
trends.
It was about the future

813
00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:38,480
trajectory.
Each expert shared where their

814
00:45:38,480 --> 00:45:41,200
field is moving.
Prevention science is getting

815
00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:43,840
more precise.
Early cognitive changes are

816
00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:46,320
being identified with greater
clarity.

817
00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:50,920
Nutrition research continues to
reinforce patterns over quick

818
00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:53,800
fixes.
Performance fueling connects

819
00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:57,880
caffeine and cognitive output.
40 Hertz stimulation is

820
00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:01,280
expanding across delivery
methods while researchers work

821
00:46:01,280 --> 00:46:05,160
to define real world impact.
Aromatherapy research is

822
00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:08,400
becoming more structured and
clinically informed.

823
00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:11,160
I hope that you all could hear
the shift.

824
00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:14,520
Brain health conversations are
maturing.

825
00:46:14,880 --> 00:46:17,960
Claims are being tested.
Our research methods are

826
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:20,520
improving.
Our questions are getting

827
00:46:20,520 --> 00:46:23,720
smarter.
Your role is not to chase every

828
00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:27,040
new idea.
Your role is to track the weight

829
00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:31,120
of evidence over time.
Notice where findings replicate.

830
00:46:31,400 --> 00:46:35,440
Notice where caution remains.
Align your daily habits with

831
00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:39,720
what holds up under scrutiny.
Brain Week is a reminder.

832
00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:42,280
Your brain changes across
decades.

833
00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:45,480
The science studying it changes
too.

834
00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:48,680
We hope that you all stay
engaged with both.

835
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:52,880
Thank you to Doctor Kellyanne
Iotis, Doctor Mitchell Konoski,

836
00:46:53,160 --> 00:46:57,120
Maggie Moon, Doctor Richard
Gold, Doctor Jenna Steadman, and

837
00:46:57,120 --> 00:47:00,680
Patricia Faust for sharing their
brilliant brains with us during

838
00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:02,600
our Let's Talk Brain Health
podcast.

839
00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:07,360
Guest expert panel for Brain
Week 2026.

840
00:47:08,240 --> 00:47:10,960
Thank.
You for investing your time and

841
00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:14,320
energy into your personal brain
care by listening to today's

842
00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:16,840
episode of the Let's Talk Brain
Health podcast.

843
00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:20,480
I hope our conversation gave you
fresh insights, a bit of

844
00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:24,240
inspiration, or practical steps
that you can take on your own

845
00:47:24,240 --> 00:47:27,440
personal brain care journey.
If you enjoyed today's

846
00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:30,680
conversation, I'd like to ask
you to please share this episode

847
00:47:30,680 --> 00:47:33,960
with someone who could benefit
from it or consider leaving us a

848
00:47:33,960 --> 00:47:37,040
review.
If you have questions or a topic

849
00:47:37,040 --> 00:47:40,160
in brain health you'd like me to
explore, please e-mail me

850
00:47:40,160 --> 00:47:44,280
anytime at podcast at
virtualbrainhealthcenter.com.

851
00:47:44,600 --> 00:47:47,680
I'd love to hear from you.
We have so many Any more

852
00:47:47,680 --> 00:47:51,000
exciting topics ahead?
And I can't wait to continue

853
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:54,360
this lifelong journey of better
brain health together with you

854
00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:56,520
and our growing virtual
community.

855
00:47:56,960 --> 00:48:00,040
Until next time, remember to
give your brain the care it

856
00:48:00,040 --> 00:48:03,240
deserves and make your brain
health a priority.