Preventing Cognitive Decline

Mild cognitive impairment improvement plan with goal of reversing the strong probability of future dementia.

WHAT:

1.  DHA alga 900 mgs two capsules daily.  

2.  L-methylfolate 10 mgs daily. 

3.  Methylcobalamin 5,000 mcgs sublingually daily.  

4.  B100 complex vitamin daily.  

5.  Liquid coconut oil and MCT oil.  Mix 15 ml or 20 ml of each for 30 -40 ml total in chocolate mousse or other and consume 4 times daily.

6.  BrainHQ.com brain training daily to achieve 90% or 40 hours total.

7.  Melatonin 3 mgs two hours before bedtime.

8.  One hour of bright light every morning before noon.

WHY:

1.  Studies show DHA 900 mgs improved short-term memory 50% over eight weeks. This is also important for developing and preserving synaptic connections.

2.  L-methylfolate is required to maximally produce and preserve neurotransmitters that keep the brain healthy. Specifically serotonin, norepinephrine, Dopa and GABA.  

3.  Methylcobalamin is the active form of the B12 vitamin and the oral mucosa can absorb a small amount every day that is useful in repairing the brain and nervous tissue along with the l-methylfolate.

4.  B100 complex vitamins assure there is an adequate supply of the vitamins necessary to transport the other vitamins actively across the blood brain barrier and also provides the precursors for energy producing NADH.

5.  This combination of coconut oil and it's derivative supplies adequate ketones for the cells of the brain that are unable to use glucose, the normal substrate for energy used by the brain.

http://aanddjournal.net/article/S1552-5260(14)01112-1/abstract

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3UfgQ9vkr0

6.  Daily brain exercises increases the speed of seeing and hearing and improves short-term memory significantly. The following book explains this in more detail.

http://www.amazon.com/Soft-Wired-Science-Brain-Plasticity-Change-ebook/dp/B00EB48ZDU/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1425331259&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=Michael+mezernich

7 and 8.  Sleep is vitally important for a person having abnormal alpha beta amyloid protein deposition in the brain associated with dementia. It is during high quality sleep that the cerebrospinal fluid rinses out the toxins produced in the brain.  One hour of bright light using the visor before noon and the melatonin supplement to initiate sleep at the proper time. Melatonin is also a first rate antioxidant.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/10/18/236211811/brains-sweep-themselves-clean-of-toxins-during-sleep

SPECULATION ABOUT THE HEALTH ROLE OF A STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL BRAIN

SPECULATION ABOUT THE HEALTH ROLE OF A STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL BRAIN

Consider the experiments showing that elderly patients with depression and cognitive slowing treated with either brain training or citalopram.  The brain training group recovered in 4 weeks and the citalopram antidepressant group recovered in 12 weeks.
...and the experiment showing that high intensity interval exercise with added brain training resulted in improved duration of exercise to exhaustion greater than the control group 115% vs 42%.

What do these two experiments suggest about the role of the fast healthy brain in relation to your health and performance?  Does the fast mind allow faster completion of everyday tasks and and greater stamina to function beyond the work day into recreational nights and weekends?

Does the brain lead or follow fitness?  The brain is ultimately responsible for strategic and operational actions.  Improving or diminishing the brain and the body is reciprocal however the brain decides and initiates.  Fast brain, better choices?

Two strategic ways to operationally improve fitness by improving the brain.

1.  Brain training up to 40 hours via positscience.com or BrainHQ.com.  This type of improvement may be thought of as forming larger teams of low power neurons to improve function,

2.  Optimize neurochemicals to augment the brain performance.  This type of improvement may be thought of as increasing a chemical source of power in improve function by weakened neuron teams.

One may optimize the production of GABA by increasing L-Methylfolate in the brain which then contributes a methyl group to the production of serotonin, norepinephrine, dopa and GABA.
Folate and other B complex vitamins in the presence of a normal MTHFR or methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene function optimizes GABA and other monoamine neurtransmitters.

Caveat:  one in three persons have weak forms of MTHFR function; 8% of the population are homozygous and have severe limitations in producing L-Methylfolate.

1.  Take a B 100 complex vitamin daily to make more L-methylfolate and increase its transport into the brain.
2.  For the one in three with MTHFR issues, one may take L-Methylfolate 10 mgs in addition to the B 100 complex vitamin.

The Brain, like other physical systems in our bodies operate within constraints of acceleration and braking systems.  For example the Brain has an ACCELERATOR system based on the neurotransmitter GLUTAMINE and a BRAKING system based on GABA.  Consider how important the accelerator and brakes are to the safe transit of the speedway by a race care which accelerates in the straightaways and brakes before the curves.  Both are vital components to cover the distance in the least time and win the race.  Brain training accelerates with GLUTAMINE and vitamins improve braking with GABA which allows speed and CONTROL.

The reward/punishment system of the emotional brain is now controlled by the cortex and central executive function of the brain; choosing, not reacting to uncontrollable impulses.  One DISSOCIATES from the pain of pedaling and pedals farther. AND one can ASSOCIATE with pleasure through faster more accurate processing of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch.

Thought experiment:  Does the faster brain with more GABA allow one to control and transfigure from addictions and compulsions like tobacco use, alcohol use, gambling and sexual addictions?

Alternate Day Fasting is an Effective Technique for Reducing Excessive Fat Stores

Alternate Day Fasting is an Effective Technique for Reducing Excessive Fat Stores

Where are the upper and lower limits of calorie restriction for effective weight loss?

The upper limit is the calorie reduction level at which weight loss stops and metabolic rate diminishes to match the metabolic needs for DIET supplied energy and building blocks.

The lower limit is the calorie reduction level at which weight loss is not solely stored fat but lean body mass loss or STARVATION when DIET supplied energy and building blocks are not adequate to maintain lean body mass and energy exceeds fat mobilization.

The upper limit is 70% of normal calories.
The lower limit is 50% of normal calories.

ALTERNATE DAY FASTING

Method:  Alternate 100% of normal calories on day 1 and 25% of calories on day 2.  The moving average becomes 62.5% of normal calories.  This results in the following:

1.  Intermittent depletion of liver glycogen and triglyceride.
2.  Increased insulin sensitivity.
3.  Preservation of lean body mass.
4.  Mobilization of visceral body fat stores.
5.  Call up of peripheral body fat to replace visceral body fat losses.
6.  Reduction of waist line circumference.

Alternate day fasting is Phase 2 of IMPROVING METABOLIC HEALTH.
Phase 1 is optimizing LEAN BODY MASS, AEROBIC FITNESS, INSULIN SENSITIVITY and CELLULAR HEALTH.

7.  Cellular health is improved by weekly intermittent fasting.  Alternate day fasting is not inferior to weekly intermittent fasting.
8.  Intermittent fasting is associated with low insulin and low insulin growth factor 1 which signals the cell nucleus to turn on longevity and repair genes which optimizes cell health and function.

A story about intermittent fasting restoring heart health follows.
Rodents with heart failure or pump failure with 40% ejection fraction are fasted once a week for 8 weeks.  At the end of 8 weeks, the rodent no longer have heart failure with the normal 60% ejection fraction and restored exercise capacity.  Further examination confirmed that every heart myocardial cell was restored to "good as new" status.
The good news is that every cell nucleus contains the blueprint to make an entirely new copy of the person in the DNA code.
It follows that every cell nucleus contains the genes to transform the cell into "good as new" status.
The signal to activate the relevant genes is the threat of NUTRIENT DEPRIVATION.
Early starvation leads to gene activation that results in 1. biogenesis of needed proteins, 2. refolding of abnormally folded and  poorly functioning cellular proteins by cellular chaperone proteins and 3. recycling of abnormal proteins that cannot be restored to normal function.

The IMPROVING METABOLIC HEALTH plan modestly loses fat and increases lean muscle mass.  For EXCESSIVE FAT STORES, alternate day fasting is one way to achieve the safe weight loss.

The other safe weight loss diet is CHRONIC CALORIE RESTRICTION of 30-50 % or normal daily intake or 50-70% of normal daily calorie intake.

Why, How and What of Improving Metabolic Health and Reducing Fat Storage.

Why, How and What of Improving Metabolic Health and Reducing Fat Storage.

Deconditioning.

The metabolically normal lean individual becomes metabolically abnormal lean becomes metabolically abnormal overweight becomes metabolically obese becomes comorbidly diseased obese.

Reconditioning

Reverses the above steps.

The above graphic indicates Inside Out Approach that achieves remarkable results.

For Metabolic Health;

Why. Increase the optimum lean body mass with optimum aerobic fitness indicated by VO2 max, the 6 minute run time or the mitochondrial number or mass of energy factories in the slow twitch fibers of the muscles.  The lean body mass is in relationship to bone in a 4/1 weight ratio.  Make more muscle, build more bone, increase resting metabolic rate.

How. The visceral body fat stores, the liver glycogen and triglyceride stores represent the TARGET of the Improving Metabolic Health and Reducing Fat Storage.  When one reduces the TARGET energy stores via DIET and EXERCISE that reduces glycogen repletion and depletes liver glycogen and triglyceride and visceral fat stores by increased production of norepinephrine or adrenergic stimulation.

What.  The subcutaneous fat stores are not reduced by adrenergic stimulation by norepinephrine.  Subcutaneous fat stores mobilize slowly in response to reduced visceral fat stores.  The long term fat storage, subcutaneous fat, is like the army reserves which is called to duty when the short term fat storage depot is depleted and forward deployed to the front lines of visceral fat.

When one make the JUST RIGHT STORAGE of liver glycogen and triglyceride the target of DIET and EXERCISE one increases the PULL EFFECT of peripheral fat mobilization and reduction.  If one increases the WHY, decreases the HOW, reduction of the WHAT follows.

In other words increasing muscle mass, increasing resting metabolism, reducing visceral body fat results in declining peripheral fat.

REMARKABLE CHANGE occurs from the INSIDE OUT!

Preventing Atherosclerosis the Source of Heart Attacks and Strokes Part 2

Preventing Atherosclerosis the Source of Heart Attacks and Strokes Part 2

HOW DOES THE WAY WE IMPROVE OUR METABOLIC HEALTH AFFECT THE POTENTIAL MORBIDITY OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS?

Consider a story about an experiment comparing high intensity interval exercise by rodents and sedentary non-exercising rodents who have a major induced heart attack.  What happened to each group?
The sedentary group has 2 out of every 3 rodents die from their induced heart attack.
The high intensity interval exercise group has 1 out of every 3 rodents die from their induced heart attack.
The survivors are rehabilitated and then the size of the heart damage was compared.
The sedentary group had a 4 times larger scar than the high intensity interval group.

In summary the high intensity interval exercise group had 66% survival compared to 33% and their scar was 75% smaller.  Prognosis is determined by the amount of surviving heart or ejection fracture and the number of vessels with significant plaques which are subject to rupture/clot/heart attacks in the future.
Strokes caused by ruptured atheromatous plaques should have similar smaller areas of damage to the brain.

Another benefit of high intensity interval exercise is the production of inducible hypoxic factor.  This chemical is responsible for protecting the heart muscle and brain cells when blood, the source of oxygen, is interrupted.

A common cause of plaque rupture is inflammation.  The strongest predictor of heart attack risk and inflammation is a quantitative CRP or C reactive protein.  When the liver glycogen is intermittently exhausted or decreased, inflammatory chemicals and chemokines are reduced including CRP level.

When one intermittently fasts, consumes a low glycemic diet, performs daily high intensity interval exercise and weekly resistance training, supplements with Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 the following is true.

1.  Matrix GLA/K2 removes calcium from the arterial plaques and sequesters it safely in the bones preventing osteoporosis and ruptured plaques.

2.  HDL is elevated for increased reversed cholesterol transport of oxidized LDL in the atheromatous plaque.

3.  LDL bad cholesterol is reduced in amount and qualitatively changed to large and fluffy LDL with reduced particle count making it less atherogenic, less oxidizable which is an important first step for cholesterol to enter the arterial wall.

4.  Inflammatory chemicals, chemokines and CRP production by the liver is reduced and the plaques are less likely to ruptured.

5.  Increased inducible hypoxic factor is produced by the high intensity interval exercise and protects the heart and brain should an ischemic event ever occur.

6.  Metabolic health is associated with lower insulin levels, increased insulin sensitivity and prevents diabetes which results in lower blood pressure.

7.  Lower blood pressure reduces a major risk factor for atherosclerosis, heart failure and stroke.

Preventing Atherosclerosis the Source of Heart Attacks and Strokes Part 1.

Preventing Atherosclerosis, the Source of Heart Attacks and Stroke.

Atherosclerosis is the build up of LDL bad cholesterol AND Calcium which causes hardening of the arteries and blockage to flow.  Heart attacks and strokes occur when the plaque ruptures like a pimple and a clot forms changing an artery narrowing into a blocked artery.

Three ways to significantly reduce heart attacks and strokes are as follows.

1.  Prevent or remove LDL cholesterol from making or maintaining plaques.
2.  Prevent or remove Calcium from making or maintaining plaques.
3.  Stabilize the harmless plaque narrowing from rupturing by reducing inflammation in the plaque.

1.

LDL is more or less plaque forming based on the size and number of the particles.
Large fluffy particles are best and have lower particle counts per mg of LDL cholesterol.
HDL removes LDL cholesterol from plaques by reverse cholesterol transport to the liver.
Metabolically healthy diet and exercise depletes liver glycogen stores and calories are converted into glycogen and healthy fat.
Healthy fat has 8% higher HDL good cholesterol, 7% lower LDL bad cholesterol made up of large fluffy particles having a lower particle count per mg of LDL cholesterol.

Metabolically unhealthy high glycemic diets and low intensity steady state exercise maintains full liver glycogen stores and calories are converted into unhealthy fat.
Small dense particles are worse and have higher particle counts per mg of LDL cholesterol.
Unhealthy fat has 8% lower HDL good cholesterol, 7% higher LDL bad cholesterol made up of small dense particles having higher particle count per mg of LDL cholesterol.

2.

Calcium makes up 18% of the plaque by weight.
High coronary artery calcium scores predict earlier heart attacks in men.
Women have 1/10 the rate of atherosclerosis in men at age 50 and equal rates at age 60.
The rapid build up of atherosclerosis coincides with the loss of bone calcium in menopause.
The combination of Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 removes calcium from soft tissues by "reverse calcium transport" to the bones.
This occurs because Vitamin D3 makes a Vitamin K2 dependent protein, Matrix GLA protein which joins Vitamin K2 and removes calcium from the plaques and sequesters the calcium in stronger and fracture resistant bones. I recommend D3 5,000 IU and K2 5 msg daily. Avoid if on warfarin/coumadin.

3.  HDL and Matix GLA protein/K2 remove LDL cholesterol and calcium respectfully from arteries preventing blockages and the INFLAMMATION that leads to rupture, heart attacks and strokes.

Great Health Part 7

Improving Your Metabolic Health.

Great health requires resilience in the following 4 domains:
1.  Physical
2.  Social
3.  Mental
4.  Emotional

How can mental and emotional resilience be increased?
What is the evidence that mental and emotional resilience matters?

First, the second question explored through a story about a recent experiment.  English soldiers were divided into two groups.  Both groups performed high intensity interval exercise on exercise bicycles to increase physical resilience and aerobic capacity.  One of the groups added computer assisted brain training to also increase mental resilience.
After 6 weeks, both groups achieved identical levels of increased aerobic capacity.
On an exercise to exhaustion test, the exercise only group pedaled 42% longer and the brain trained group pedaled 115% longer.  Identical peak aerobic capacity gains but vastly different endurance and resilience.  Training the brain increased mental (and likely emotional) resilience.  The work or play to exhaustion duration should be increased by combining HIIE and brain training.

The HIIE and BRAIN TRAINING NEXUS is as interesting as the DIET and EXERCISE NEXUS for promoting health and resilience.
Both are elegantly simple and economical.
Both increase BDNF or brain derived neurotrophic factor also known as the memory chemical.   BDNF is also an apparent metabolic turbocharger engaging when needed during high energy demands or low energy supply conditions. (HIIE, Brain training high energy mental processing and intermittent fasting)

Emotional resilience is directly explored through a story about another recent experiment.  Elderly depressed patients with cognitive slowing were randomized to receive either of two treatments; computer assisted brain training OR antidepressant medication.  The brain training resolved both the cognitive slowing and depression within 4 weeks while the antidepressant medication resolved both the cognitive slowing and depression at 12 weeks.  Therefore, brain training was superior in treating emotional or affective illness achieving remission in 4 weeks instead of 12 weeks.

Depression is associated with low energy low BDNF.  Emotional resilience is associated with high energy high BDNF.  Therefore metabolically healthy promoting activities increase BDNF, that acts in the brain and in the body.  Healthy brain, healthy body.

Secondly, the long version of how is answered in the first post of my blog, Livermanlearningtolearn.blogs

PRESCRIPTION for increasing MENTAL and EMOTIONAL resilience.

Positscience.com or BrainHQ.com

Train for 20 minutes regularly until completing 40 hours or achieving 90 percentile brain speed score.