Dr. Jennifer Kessmann- Functional Medicine
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The Brain and Your Health
Do you think about the health of your brain? Do you think about keeping your brain in tip top shape? In our current world, it is becoming more important than ever to think about strategies to protect and support brain health. Things such as environmental toxicities, electromagnetic radiation, and poorer quality food all contribute to making it more challenging to stay healthy in today’s world. Thankfully, current research is finding ways to improve and decrease cognitive decline by using strategies promoting a healthier brain.
The Era of Brain Fog
Brain fog and cognitive difficulties like memory have become a very common issue for many of my patients- even the seemingly healthy ones. It is known that brain fog is a sign of many things, one of which is inflammation. Inflammation in the brain can contribute to things like depression, anxiety, insomnia, ADHD and general brain fog. These conditions are important to address from a functional medicine standpoint to help reverse inflammation. Additionally, learning strategies to combat cognitive decline is now becoming a topic among many health advocates. Intermittent fasting is one of the strategies employed that may help with autophagy in the brain. Autophagy is a process that helps clean up of cellular debris that may contribute to inflammation. Read on to learn more!
History of Fasting
Centuries of religious groups have recommended intermittent fasting as part of their practices to help with prayer and connection to God. Current day evidence is proving that intermittent fasting is also very good for our longevity and overall health. I find it fascinating how ancient forms of medicine knew how to improve health without knowing the science completely. They used what worked time after time to establish protocols for wellness and health. These methods are now being studied and the evidence demonstrates that many of these ancient medical therapies work in very scientific and reproducible ways.
What is Intermittent Fasting and Autophagy?
Intermittent fasting is a process by which avoiding caloric intake for short periods of time can help with the adaptability of the cellular chemistry. During caloric deprivation cellular machinery is switched into a mode called “autophagy”. Autophagy is a process where our cells clean up debris and recycle nutrients and cellular debris. Futhermore, epigenetic changes activate different genes to help clean up our internal cellular environments through autophagy. This process of autophagy has been shown to even improve brain function. These periods of time can vary, and certainly it is important to remember to use common sense- starving is definitely not a great idea either! Individuals need to discuss their risks and benefits with their medical provider as certain medications may interfere and cause risks.
Allowing our body to rest and increase its ability to shift from caloric deficit to caloric replacement improves health through many mechanisms. The body and brain are adaptable and able to recycle many substrates. This process can improve communication between cells which is important for every process in the body, especially the brain. Currently, evidence for this is overwhelming in both mouse models and humans. Additionally, this fasting has improved brain function and even has helped to reverse dementia in small studies done by Dr. Dale Bredesen. This is in contradiction to what science had originally thought and we are always learning more.
Additionally, fasting also allows the gut to rest and repair which may decrease immune reactions and inflammation. All of this may contribute to a decrease in inflammation and improved health and well being. Now, going too far can create problems through lack of nutrients. It is important to drink plenty of water and keep blood sugar stable as well.
Types of Fasting
The studies that have been done have used what is called Time Restricted Eating (TME). Time restricted eating generally allows for eating for 8 hours and fasting for 16 hours per day. This means that a person can eat at 6PM and then not again until 10AM- so really it isn’t all that hard to do! If you are choosing to try this, make sure you discuss with your physician. Diabetics and others on medications or insulin of course need special counseling from their physician in regards to fasting. There are many considerations when attempting fasting, so please discuss with your physician. Skipping breakfast may actually help us if we have enough necessary nutrients and minerals.
Current Evidence for Intermittent Fasting
Could it be that fasting is also helping the brain? Today’s research would suggest a resounding yes! Fasting helps improve internal cellular environments through many known mechanisms. These include improving mitochondrial numbers and mitochondrial health, decreasing oxidative stress, increasing Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, turning on genes that help with autophagy and decreasing immune reactions. Furthermore, fasting improves insulin sensitivity, decreases abdominal fat and actually, if done correctly, can increase muscle mass. The metabolic switching that occurs when going from a caloric dense mode to a deprivation mode is beneficial for our cellular function. Wow, who knew that avoiding caloric intake for short bursts of time could be so helpful for health. Our body is so amazing! So next time you skip breakfast you might be actually improving your cellular function!
Call us to find out more about how to protect and improve your brain function through functional medicine!
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Disclaimer: Nothing in this article is meant to diagnose, treat or evaluate any medical condition. It is intended for informational use only. All health concerns should be discussed with a medical provider for interpretation on a personal basis. Please refer to the following articles for further informational evidence regarding this topic.
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