BDNF

Ever heard the saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”?

Well, all I can say is that phrase was coined long before the era of processed food

Because you see, even after a hearty breakfast, many people will grab a mid morning snack… followed by feasting on a carb heavy lunch… a packet of potato chips in the afternoon… and ALL before emptying a full dinner plate.

All this snacking and feasting means our body is constantly digesting food. It NEVER gets a break.

At best, it gets a tiny window to process a meal before more gets shoved down the chute.

The good news is there’s an easy fix.

Intermittent fasting, or IF for short, for has exploded in popularity as a way of losing weight, relieving indigestion, and triggering all sorts of health benefits.

IF isn’t a diet.

IF is an eating pattern.

The way it works is that a couple of days a week you skip breakfast.

This gives your gut a breather, so it can digest more of the food already in your stomach. It can also burn off some of the fat stored in your cells.

It sounds so simple.

Yet a study in the journal Cell Metabolism showed IF may decrease risk factors for all sorts of diseases. This includes diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even cancer.

IF may boost the brain too.

The reason IF is great for your brain is because it increases levels of the BDNF. BDNF is a protein your brain needs to make new neurons.

So BDNF is vital to sustaining a healthy mind.

An animal study by the Queensland School of Biomedical Sciences, Australia, found that IF led to a big boost in neurons in the brain.

If you’d like to know more about IF and how to do it, check out a book called Eat Stop Eat by natural health expert Brad Pilon.

His book has helped over 54,000 people to lose weight, improve their digestion, and even boost their brain. And all just from skipping breakfast.

Sounds simple. But then why should health need to be complicated.

>>>Click here to find out more about how Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat transformed the lives of 54,000 people

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5835061/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/interested-fasting-health-get-facts-first/
https://neurotrition.ca/blog/intermittent-fasting-better-brain-health
https://medium.com/@drbradysalcido/6-surprising-brain-power-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting-49ad1bc39e04
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4013772/

Disclaimer – Statements made in this article have not been approved or verified by the FDA. This information is not intended to be a substitute or replacement for any medical treatment. Please seek the advice of a healthcare professional for your specific health concerns. Individual results may vary. This is an advertisement and not a blog or article.

I used to hate exercise. But then I found out I’d been doing it wrong all along…

Turns out “exercise” doesn’t have to mean sweating buckets on a treadmill.

It can be as simple as a 30 minute walk around your block. That’s all it takes to trigger amazing health benefits for your brain.

There two reasons why walks are so healthy:

1) It increases the flow of nutrient rich blood to your brain.

2) It rockets levels of BDNF

What’s BDNF?

BDNF stands for “brain-derived neurotrophic factor”.

BDNF is a protein your brain needs to grow and sustain new neurons.

Think of it as like fertilizer for growing new brain cells. Or as Harvard psychiatrist John Ratey calls it “Miracle-Gro”.

A lot of brain scientists, including Keri Martinowich, Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins medicine and Gary C. Sieck, Ph.D, from the Mayo Clinic, have hailed BDNF’s discovery as a breakthrough in brain health.

In fact, a study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, found people who go for 20 minute daily walks have a 48% lower risk of severe memory loss.

While the National Institute on Aging verified that BDNF can “increase the production of proteins that enhance neuronal plasticity and resistance to oxidative and metabolic insults”.

Go for Walks and Socialise

One way to boost BDNF is with 30 minute walks.

Another way of boosting BDNF is interacting with other people.

Research by the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rome Italy, found that nurturing close relationships led to increased levels of BDNF in the brain.

It’s one of the reasons why the 678 nuns in the famous “Nun Study of Aging” sustained such healthy minds. Because the amount of social interaction in their day kept their BDNF levels topped up.

So you see, interacting with people doesn’t just make you happier. Social interaction helps keep your mind strong too.

On the flipside, when you don’t socialise enough it’s toxic for your mind.

In fact, a study of 12,000 people by Florida State University found people who feel lonely have a 40% higher risk of dementia.

So if you find yourself spending too much time alone, consider meeting friends for coffee, joining a local book club, or taking up a new social hobbies.

You’ll feel happier and smarter as a result.

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25483019

https://blog.bulletproof.com/8-ways-to-increase-bdnf-and-keep-your-brain-from-aging/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/research/labs/keri-martinowich-laboratory

https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/sieck-gary-c-ph-d/bio-00083569

BDNF

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BDNF and Why it’s ‘Miracle Gro’ for the Brain