Dementias, including Alzheimer ’s disease, are associated with debilitating memory loss. Inside the body, as memory loss becomes greater, inflammation increases. Inflammation can be likened to a fire, which needs fuel and oxygen. Following this example inside the body, the wood feeding the fire is high stress, poor diet and little exercise. The oxygen fanning the flames comes in the form of uncontrolled free radicals and high levels of insulin. Here are four simple ways to take charge and put out the smoldering coals in the brain before they catch fire:

1. Balance Blood Sugar—You can control the inflammation in your body by simply keeping blood sugar constant. Eat a meal or snack every three to four hours that includes a protein source. Choose appropriate portions of low glycemic foods as carbohydrate sources such as green vegetables and whole grains. Most important, choose foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed.
2. Take Antioxidants—In combination with an active lifestyle, antioxidants are the best defenders against dementia. There are many important antioxidants and it is important to have all of them in your diet or supplement regime. Coenzyme Q10 is especially important as it has been shown to increase brain function in those with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s related dementias and helps the heart muscle function appropriately. CoQ10 is fascinating because it is a vitamin that is used at the end of the body’s process for making energy, called the Kreb’s cycle. Without Coenzyme Q10, the oxygen used to make energy would create even more free radicals and cause increased inflammation.
3. Use the Brains You Have—An extensive web of brain connections is critical in protecting functional memory. The more connections you have, the less likely you will miss one if it disappears. The best way to increase or maintain these connections is to turn off the TV and continually learn. Learning can occur in many ways including: taking a class or taking on a new responsibility/skill at work; playing games, crosswords or cards; reading a book.
4. Healthy Fats—Fish Oils not only improve brain connectivity but also help decrease inflammation when in taken combination with GLA, an anti-inflammatory omega 6 oil. Nordic Naturals Omega 3-6-9 contains a good ratio of fish (EPA/DHA) to GLA fatty acids for brain health.

Thanksgiving is six weeks away, but it is my favorite holiday so I’m already thinking about it. I love that the weather is cooler, family snuggles into home for at least half a day, the leaves change color, plus it’s my wedding anniversary and so many of my favorite foods are served all in one meal. I look forward to it for months every year. Although I have so many reasons to adore Thanksgiving, the best reason is the boost of serotonin I receive from the entire holiday.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found in the gut (90 percent) and brain (10 percent). Although it is in higher quantity in the gut, we associate serotonin with happiness or depression rather than digestion. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter most antidepressants target to increase levels of in order to decrease symptoms of sadness. Antidepressants do this by increasing the amount of time serotonin stays in the space between nerves where it actively promotes happiness rather than being broken down by enzymes in the body.

If you are trying to promote happiness (and most people like to be happy!) you may want to start at the beginning. Serotonin is produced from the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is found in many foods, but the most common highly abundant food is…turkey! Once tryptophan is eaten and absorbed, it must pass through the blood brain barrier. The blood brain barrier protects the brain against bacteria, but also meters nutrients across based on availability. The higher amounts of amino acids get across easier than the amino acids that are not as common in your diet. To sway your body into thinking there is more tryptophan and less of the other amino acids, you can eat something rich in carbohydrates such as mashed potatoes or sweet potato pie.

Now the tryptophan is in the brain and ready to make you happy! All you need are a few vitamins and minerals to help the process along. Magnesium and B-complex should do the trick. B vitamins do many jobs inside the brain, but making serotonin is a big one. It is important to note when you are under high amounts of stress that your body increases its use of B vitamins. Therefore, when serotonin production is not given enough of the B complex vitamins the feelings of sadness and carbohydrate cravings increase.

If you are starting to experience sadness:

• Increase foods rich in tryptophan such as turkey, chicken breast, grass fed beef, and salmon.
• Make sure you are taking magnesium every night.
• Each morning take B-complex when you wake.

NOTE: This blog is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner. If you are under the care of a physician or are on prescription medications, please consult with your physician prior to making dietary or lifestyle changes or taking nutritional supplements.

Last week a study was published associating increased caffeinated coffee consumption to a decreased risk of depression. As this study was not testing causation, caffeinated coffee has not been shown to actually prevent depression but to be associated with a decreased risk. The benefits started with those who drank half of a Starbucks tall coffee and increased as the coffee consumption increased. Everything I had read before always reported caffeinated coffee to increase anxiety and depressive symptoms. This new information made me start thinking about caffeine and its effects on brain health.

Below are some of the side effects of caffeine:

• Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant (irritability, anxiety, restlessness)
• Gives a boost of energy (the shakiness is the proof)
• Increases the body’s use of Magnesium, Calcium and B- Vitamins
• Increases urination and can promote dehydration.

Below are the signs and symptoms of depression that caffeine may affect:

• Appetite or weight changes: We tend to eat differently when drinking coffee which may offset the depressive changes. Also, coffee consumption for many people is a social interaction which decreases depressive symptoms.
• Sleep changes: Coffee helps us get motivated and sleep less if we are over sleeping due to depression.
• Anger or irritability: Coffee may make this symptom worse.
• Loss of energy: Anyone who has had their first cup of coffee can attest to the fact that it gives at least a little boost of energy.
• Concentration problems: As energy is increased it becomes easier to concentrate and get things done.

(List taken from this helpguide link)

So what does all this mean for you? Coffee has both benefits and disadvantages, as much of the research has shown. Some of the disadvantages include increased side effects of chronic diseases while one advantage coffee offers is to increase amounts of dietary antioxidants. If you choose to drink coffee, it should always be organic.  When it comes to caffeinated coffee and depression, there is no link to preventing depression so do not start drinking coffee for this reason. If you are a coffee drinker the best results for decreasing the risk of depression were found for those who drank one grande Starbucks coffee or similar each day. To help mitigate some of the negative effects of coffee make sure you drink extra water and increase the amount of magnesium and B-complex vitamins taken per day.

Age related muscle loss, known as “sarcopenia”, affects 25 percent of the U.S. population over age 65. Sarcopenia cannot be detected by calculating BMI (Body Mass Index—a ratio of height and weight) or looking at a person. A person can appear obese or look very slim and still have muscle loss. The research shows that whether one is under or overweight, too little muscle decreases quality of life and increases the risk for chronic diseases. The ultimate loss with sarcopenia is the loss of functional independence and the tendency toward physical disability. Although sarcopenia is common, it is a very reversible and preventable condition.

What can you do to prevent muscle loss or re-gain muscle that has already been lost:

1. Move: The old saying is true, USE OR LOSE IT! If you want to maintain muscle you must use it. All types of exercise work. If you are home bound or a TV aficionado, lifting soup cans with your arms does the trick. If you can walk or do water aerobics that would work also. The biggest thing is to find something you can do, enjoy doing and do it.

2. Eat Protein: It is harder for the body to make protein from scratch than to use it from food. Ensure you are getting appropriate amounts of protein each day to make/maintain muscle. Protein foods include animal products (beef, chicken, turkey, seafood, fish, eggs, and dairy) and vegetable sources (legumes, nuts, and seeds)

3. Digest Protein: Once chewed, protein must be digested to do any good. Digestion begins with stomach acid. By the time we turn 65 our stomach acid production has decreased 75 percent. By adding lemon/lime juice or vinegar to meals we can help increase the acidity of the stomach and digest proteins better.

Consider Essential Meal: If fat loss is important, your appetite is low, or there is a meal you tend to forget to eat on a regular basis, Essential Meal is a great solution to ensure adequate protein intake to prevent muscle loss.

Recently, I was sitting on a plane and overheard my neighbors talking about sunburn, sunscreen, and of course the good old days. The younger one was saying his children get sunburned within 15 minutes of being in the sun and the older one stated that many years ago her children could be outside all day and not get burned. The whole conversation was summed up with, “What a shame that we destroyed the ozone layer”…but what if the destruction of the ozone layer was only half the story?

Anti-oxidants, especially vitamin C and vitamin E may be a missing part of the equation. One study found that those who took 2000mg of vitamin C and 1000 IU of Vitamin E orally had the ability to increase their daily exposure to UV radiation (harmful sunlight) before becoming sunburned. Thinking about the seemingly recent increase in sunburn, we may very well be a society that is not getting enough antioxidants to protect against the lack of ozone layer. All of this becomes more personal when realizing that sunburn causes increases in the risk of skin cancer and excessive skin wrinkling.

However, without UV radiation (sunlight), cholesterol cannot be turned into vitamin D, which is an important nutrition for protecting against dementia, heart problems and age related depression. So sunlight is an important part of an anti-aging protocol, but skin still has to be protected!

As with everything, the sooner we start to work on prevention the greater the benefits. Acting now to protect your skin can help guarantee beautiful skin that is free of excessive wrinkles. Unfortunately, many of us have been sun worshipers and need a “wrinkle redo”. A serum containing 5 percent vitamin C has been shown to decrease the depth of sun-induced wrinkles and cause skin to appear more youthful. As vitamin C breaks down quickly it is best to make your own single use serum and use it immediately. Below is a recipe:

1. Dissolve 1000 mg vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in 1 teaspoon distilled water in a small glass container. Make sure it is fully dissolved before proceeding to next step.

2. Add 1 teaspoon of glycerine (can be purchased in the beauty section of most health food stores) and mix.

3. Apply directly to skin. Store any leftovers in a dark glass container (i.e. a clean tincture jar) in a cool place such as the refrigerator.

Study reference: “Protective effect against sunburn of combined systemic ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and d-α-tocopherol (vitamin E).” Bernadette Eberlein-König MD, Marianne Placzek MD and Bernhard Przybilla MD. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Volume 38, Issue 1, January 1998, Pages 45-48

Calcium supplements and dairy products tend to be the largest sources of calcium for many people, but there are many other healthy foods that contain calcium. Here are five of the lesser known high calcium foods and some of their benefits on bone health. Consider eating them more frequently:

• Sesame Seeds
  Sesame seeds contains approximately 1,404 mg of calcium! While it is important to note that very few people can eat 1 cup of sesame seeds daily, eating ¼ of a cup on a frequent basis is not difficult. Sprinkle sesame seeds on cereal, include them in sautéed vegetables and stir fries, and use tahini (ground sesame seed butter) when making hummus. Sesame seeds also have an optimal 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium and healthy fats to promote Vitamin D absorption.

• Cinnamon
  Along with its sugar stabilizing ability this tasty herb decreases inflammation and provides calcium for increased bone building. Containing 78 mg of calcium per tablespoon, cinnamon is a spice to use frequently.

• Basil, dried
  Basil contains 47 mg of calcium per tablespoon along with Vitamin K, an essential nutrient for creating the bone matrix. What a great reason to eat Italian food!

• Spinach
  Spinach is a true bone superfood. It contains all the minerals needed to make bone, including 254 mg of calcium per cup cooked spinach. Spinach is one of the many foods that alkalize the body. 

  Alkalizing the body helps to turn on the bone rebuilding cells (osteoblasts) and slow down the bone breakdown and remodeling cells (osteoclasts).

• Blackstrap Molasses
  Usually known for its iron content, blackstrap molasses also contains 175 mg of calcium per tablespoon. Mix molasses with almond butter—the protein in the almonds will help calcium to be absorbed more effectively into bone.