Recent TedTalk on Neurogenesis

[metacognito]

Interesting TedTalk discussing diet & lifestyle factors for optimizing neurogenesis:

ted.com/talks/sandrine_thur...

[partypants]

No running involved, thank God. It seems the evidence is building for low sugar, calorie restricted diets. I'm not sure about the high saturated fats though - I thought coconut oil, fish oils & butter etc was supposed to be a good thing ?

[metacognito in reply to partypants]

You're right. There's still a lot of lingering confusion when it comes to good vs bad fats but the fats you mention are generally considered to be among the good guys.

The link below gives a pretty good rundown on how dietary beliefs have evolved since the 'all-fat-is-BAD' 70s.

"The three main types of fat are saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. We need all three in our diets, but because some are better for us than others it's important to become aware of the amounts of which fats you are eating. In fact all fats are composed of all three types of these fats in different proportions. To make matters even more complicated, some fats are healthier to cook with than others."

dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

[zawy in reply to partypants]

People talk so much about coconut oil for PD that I thought it was proven. I did a search at pubmed and couldn't find anything to support it.

[Hikoi]

Excellent, thanks. I followed on with this from the choices on offer and it too was very good.

ted.com/talks/siddharthan_c...

[metacognito in reply to Hikoi]

Nice clip, Hikoi, thx. I hadn't seen that one. It gives a good peek into the all-to-slow hunt for solutions for our ongoing neurodegeneration. I'm still hoping that one of these pleuripotent stem cell therapies or one to address the misfolding alpha-synuclein problem will become available in time to make some difference...

[zawy]

Here's her list for improving neurogenesis in the hippocampus for improving mood and memory:

exercise

antidepressants

learning

good sleep

sex

exercise

calorie restriction

intermittent fasting

(she left out heat baths)

Foods:

flavonoids

blueberries

omega-3 oils (fish oil, canola)

low sugar

food that needs more chewing

vit A, vit D, vit B's, vit E, zinc, folic acid, caffeine, no saturated fat

She mentioned also resveratrol and curcumin, but these are only in animal models. These do not make it to the brain in humans in any formulation, certainly not in the concentrations that have been found to work in animals.

hurts it:

stress

age

[zawy]

I mentioned heat baths for neurogenesis. Here's a great video about it. She's super-mesmerizing to listen to and watch. I feel like a deer caught in headlights watching her videos.

I've started daily heat baths for 20 minutes. It's not easy, but I go from 105 F bath for 20 minutes. It's about 100 F at the end. My heart rate gets up to 120 BPM and my temperature gets to 101 F. Anything more than that is more than I can stand. I lose 1 pound of fluid in the 20 minutes, then another 0.3 pounds waiting 5 minutes to cool off. It takes an hour of low-aerobic exercise to lose the same amount of fluid, but my temperature does not get as high.

The important point relevant to PD begins at 2:45. Heat shock proteins not only help neurogenesis, but they help prevent protein misfolding and carry a-syn out of the cell. HSP70 in particular.

youtu.be/eWKBsh7YTXQ(Not working as expected?)