
Is Six Hours of Sleep Enough?
Just because we don’t have evidence that there is a growing epidemic of sleep deprivation doesn’t necessarily mean we are getting enough sleep.
Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Jan
Reducing total cholesterol to under 150 may be necessary to eliminate our risk of heart attacks, our number one killer. This can be accomplished with statins, which may cause memory loss, or a plant-based diet and other lifestyle modifications.
Berries, 30 minutes of daily aerobic exercise, and getting 7-8 hours sleep may be helpful for improving short-term memory function and decreasing cognitive decline.
Creatine supplementation may improve memory, but the effect appearsmore pronounced in vegetarians than in meat-eaters. Vegetarians and vegans should take a B12 supplement to prevent brain loss. Total vegetable consumption is associated with improved fact-based memory. Soy and caffeine have been found to protect and enhance memory function, and alternate day fasting was found to produce a dramatic improvement in memory.
Elevated alkylphenol levels in nursing mothers, due to contaminated seafood consumption, may impact memory function in infants and a rare toxin
found in seafood may permanently compromise short-term memory function. Consumption of high levels of seafood may also cause neurobehavioral issues such as memory loss, possibly due to high mercury levels. Pregnant women who eat licorice may be risking diminished memory function to their unborn babies.
The information on this page has been compiled from the research presented in the videos listed. Sources for each video can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab.
Just because we don’t have evidence that there is a growing epidemic of sleep deprivation doesn’t necessarily mean we are getting enough sleep.
Diet appears to mediate the majority of the racial health gap.
AGEs may be one explanation for why those who consume meat may have up to three times the risk of developing dementia compared with vegetarians.
How can we avoid the breakdown product of pesticides that may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease as much as if you carried APOE e4, the so-called Alzheimer’s gene?
Fasting and exercise can raise BDNF levels in our brain, but this can also be achieved by eating and avoiding certain foods.
Weight loss can decrease dementia risk and improve mental performance and infertility.
Grape juice and whole grapes are put to the test for brain function, including cognitive decline in early Alzheimer’s.
The effect of toxoplasma brain parasites can cause personality alterations.
Avocados, greens, and lutein and zeaxanthin supplements are put to the test for improving cognitive function.
What is the best source of lutein, the primary carotenoid antioxidant in the brain?
Cocoa and nitrite-rich vegetables, such as green leafies and beets, are put to the test for cognitive function.
Randomized controlled studies put nuts, berries, and grape juice to the test for cognitive function.
Do the benefits outweigh the risks for acid-blocker drugs (proton pump inhibitors like Nexium/Prilosec/Prevacid)? What about baking soda?
Blueberries can significantly improve cognitive performance within hours of consumption.
Chicken, fish, and egg powder in processed foods present greater risk from cholesterol oxidation byproducts, but there are things you can do to reduce exposure.
Oxidized cholesterol can be a hundred times more toxic than regular cholesterol, raising additional concerns about foods such as ghee, canned tuna, processed meat, and parmesan cheese.
If you start smoking marijuana as an adult, how much cannabis is too much?
Is the American Academy of Pediatrics’ opposition to cannabis legalization just reefer madness revisited?
What evidence is there that our meat-sweet diets play a cause-and-effect role in dementia?
Politics, prejudice, and pressure coming from both sides add to the complexity of cannabis research.
What are some strategies to reduce arsenic exposure from rice?
Lemon balm may beat out drugs for controlling the symptoms of severe dementia.
What would happen if you secretly gave cancer patients four of the healthiest foods?
Having hypertension in midlife (ages 40 through 60) is associated with elevated risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s dementia later in life—even more so than having the so-called Alzheimer’s gene.
A half teaspoon of dried rosemary can improve cognitive function.
Learn why I recommend 250mg a day of a pollutant-free source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
Overt omega-3 deficiency is rare, but do short-term experiments on cognitive function suggest there might be an optimal DHA dose?
Why has fish consumption been associated with cognitive impairment and loss of executive function?
Organic chicken broth is popular with paleo diet advocates, but do tests indicate the presence of the toxic heavy metal lead?
High-tech advances, such as PET scanning, offer new insight into the role cholesterol plays in both the amyloid cascade and vascular models of the development of Alzheimer’s dementia.
The mercury content in fish may help explain links found between fish intake and mental disorders, depression, and suicide.
One week on a plant-based diet can significantly drop blood levels of homocysteine, a toxin associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Without vitamin B12 supplementation, though, a long-term plant-based diet could make things worse.
Endocrine-disrupting industrial toxins in the aquatic food chain may affect genital development of boys and sexual function in men.
Organic food consumption appears to reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Foods of animal origin (especially fish) appear to be the most important source of human exposure to industrial pollutants such as alkylphenol xenoestrogens.
The consumption of blueberries and strawberries is associated with delayed cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years—thought to be because of brain-localizing anthocyanin phytonutrients, as shown on functional MRI scans.
Two kiwi fruit an hour before bedtime may improve sleep quality and duration, without the side effects associated with sleeping pills.
Death in America is largely a foodborne illness. Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals, Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse many of the top 15 killers in the United States.
There’s a rare toxin, called domoic acid, that can turn up in tuna and other seafood and cause anterograde amnesia, the loss of short-term memory popularized in the movie Memento.
Vegetarians appear to get more of a cognitive boost than meat-eaters from creatine supplementation.