Brain health impacts every single area of our lives, including our quality of life as we age. Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease are becoming increasingly more common, but this growing epidemic is not a normal or inevitable part of aging. Genetic predisposition only drives around 5% of cases, so the power is in our hands to implement healthy habits and prevention strategies to ward off neurodegeneration.
Today’s guest, Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, is an expert in neuroscience and neuropharmacology. He is a tenured associate professor at the University of South Florida, a research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, and the creator of the website, Keto Nutrition. Dom’s impressive resume also includes working as a research investigator on NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operation. In his research lab, the main focus is studying the neuroprotective effects of the ketogenic diet, and that’s what you’re going to learn about today.
You’re going to learn about the connection between brain health and metabolic health. We’re diving into fascinating topics, including how the brain changes as we age, specific biomarkers to measure your overall health, and how indicators like sleep and gut health can impact your brain. Dom is truly a wealth of knowledge, and I hope this episode empowers you to take control of your brain health so you can live your best life as you age.
In this episode you’ll discover:
- What the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is.
- The percentage of Alzheimer’s disease diagnoses that are genetically driven.
- How metabolic health is tied to age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
- Specific biomarkers you should be monitoring for brain health.
- The connection between Alzheimer’s disease and glucose metabolism in the brain.
- How elevating ketones improves brain blood flow.
- What therapeutic ketosis is.
- How the brain’s ability to process different energy sources changes as we age.
- What we know about the metabolic components of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Different ways to achieve therapeutic ketosis.
- The connection between neuroinflammation and sleep quality.
- How zonulin can lead to leaky gut.
- Similarities between leaky gut and junctions in the blood-brain barrier.
- The link between gut health and the immune system.
- What metabolic psychiatry is.
- The benefits of using a continuous glucose monitor.
- How consuming liquid sugar impacts the gut and metabolism.
- Why systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation are connected.
- The best foods to eat for brain and metabolic health.
Items mentioned in this episode include:
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