Episode Summary

In this solo cast episode, I share how you can take control of your brain health through diet. Drawing from my work on the NIH-supported Emory Healthy Brain Study, I list the top seven foods that should be consumed daily to maintain optimal cognitive function, as well as which foods to avoid and why.

“Leafy greens, as well as other vegetables, citrus fruits, nuts, red wine, berries, and olive oil, all provide large amounts of vitamins that can build your antioxidant defenses and repair the damage caused by free radicals.”

Practicing healthy nutrition habits may also be effective in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Chemical changes found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients suggest that Alzheimer’s may be a form of diabetes of the brain; however, the onset of symptoms, like memory loss, can be counteracted through early dietary changes.

“Amazingly, not all people with these hallmark changes are going to develop Alzheimer’s, so lifestyle and other ways our body interact with our environment significantly affect the way we age. Since there are decades from the first signs of these changes in the brain until the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s, we have a long time window for making changes.”

Here is a breakdown of the topics discussed in this episode:

[00:02:02] What happens in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients?

[00:02:55] Diet’s impact on the brain

[00:03:37] The importance of overall dietary patterns

[00:05:48] “The Daily Seven” foods for brain health

[00:15:43] Four food categories to avoid

Episode Notes

For more information about nutrition and other ways you can improve your brain health, you can take the free Better Brain Health Challenge available on my website

If you have questions or comments, you can find me on:

Linked In: Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist

Instagram: @drsharonbergquist

Twitter: @SHBergquistMD

Some of the studies mentioned in this episode:

Morris MC, Tangney CC, Wang Y, Sacks FM, Bennett DA, Aggarwal NT. MIND diet associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s & Dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. 2015;11(9):1007-1014.

Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL. Nutrients And Bioactives In Green Leafy Vegetables And Cognitive Decline: Prospective Study. Neurology. 2018;90(3):e214-e222.

Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, et al. Dietary fats and the risk of incident Alzheimer disease. Archives of Neurology. 2003;60(2):194-200.

Cremonini AL, Caffa I, Cea M, Nencioni A, Odetti P, Monacelli F. Nutrients in the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2019 Sep 4;2019:9874159. 

This podcast is brought to you by Emory Lifestyle Medicine & Wellness. To learn more about our work, please visit this link.