Research documents an easy way to slow brain shrinkage

Brain size makes a difference when it comes to memory.

The problem is that the brain shrinks as we age. If we could prevent that, we could also help prevent memory loss as we get older. That is what the reviewed research investigated (Daiello LA, et.al. 2014).
The participants were assessed with neuropsychological tests and brain magnetic resonance imaging every 6 months. The participants that used fish oil supplements during the follow up had a significantly better outcome on the neuropsychological tests which indicated better cognition.

Not only that, but the fish oil use was also associated with less atrophy (brain loss) in one or more brain regions related to memory.

The active ingredients of omega 3 fish oil is EPA and DHA, so if you are going to take fish oil, you want to use a product that has high amounts of EPA, DHA.

Daiello LA¹, Gongvatana A², Dunsiger S³, Cohen RA², Ott BR⁴; Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Association of fish oil supplement use with preservation of brain volume and cognitive function. Alzheimer's Dement. 2014 Jun 18. pii: S1552-5260(14)00079-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.02.005. [Epub ahead of print]

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

How well is your fish oil absorbed?

To maximize the benefits from the nutrients you're taking, you need to absorb them well.

The reviewed research is interesting because it investigated how well fish oil was absorbed(Beckermann B, et.al.1990). The study was a so-called crossover trial. This means that the same participants ingested different kinds of fish oil, which were compared to see if there was a difference in how well they were absorbed.

Three forms of omega-3 fat were compared, and the amount of EPA/DHA (the active ingredients of omega-3 fat) were measured in the blood after the participant ingested capsules containing different forms of omega-3 fat.

The most common form of fish oil is ethyl esters because it is cheaper to make, so that was included in the study. Also included was free fatty acids.

These two forms were compared with a triglyceride form.

The free fatty acid form was absorbed the best, but free fatty acids oxidize very easy which means they get rancid very easy, so it is unlikely that you will find that form as a supplement. The triglyceride form is the most stable form and the study documented that the triglyceride form was absorbed 50 percent better than the ethyl ester form.

It is more expensive to produce fish oil in a triglyceride form, but you don't have to pay 50 percent more for a quality product, so the triglyceride form is a better choice.

Beckermann B¹, Beneke M, Seitz I. [Comparative bioavailability of eicosapentaenoic acid and docasahexaenoic acid from triglycerides, free fatty acids and ethyl esters in volunteers]. Arzneimittelforschung. 1990 Jun;40(6):700-4.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

What you drink could increase your blood pressure

A lot has been written about the effect salt may have on your blood pressure, but not much has been mentioned about the topic of the reviewed research.

In this research the results of several studies which included 409,707 participants were included (Malik AH, et.al.,2014). The researchers investigated how a common habit many people have may affect their blood pressure, and that habit was drinking sugar sweetened beverages.

They found that the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages were associated with higher blood pressure leading to increased incidence of hypertension.

Comparatively few people may be aware of the health hazards of sweet soft drinks. Many also still think that a glass of fruit juice is a very healthy choice, but it is actually loaded with sugar. Keep that in mind especially now when it is summer and you want to pick up something to drink.

Water is certainly the best choice, but if you want something sparkly, use carbonated water and squeeze some lemon juice in it if you want more taste.

Malik AH1, Akram Y2, Shetty S2, Malik SS3, Yanchou Njike V4. Impact of sugar-sweetened beverages on blood pressure. Am J Cardiol. 2014 May 1;113(9):1574-80. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2014.01.437. Epub 2014 Feb 12.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

What effects brain loss as you get older?

As we get older we gradually experience a certain degree of brain atrophy. The rate of which the brain volume is changing is, however, not the same for everyone. The good news is that there is something you can do to slow down this process.

An Austrian study of 201 participants evaluated brain volume changes over 6 years. Using MRI scans, it was documented that the participants with higher Hemoglobin A1c levels also had a higher rate of brain atrophy (Enzinger C, et.al.,2005).

Hemoglobin A1c is a measurement of long term glucose control.

The participants with high alcohol intake also lost brain volume faster, and so did the ones with a high body mass index.

As you can see, these are things you can do something about. If you get into the habit of eating low glycemic index meals it will help to make you more insulin sensitive and lower Hemoglobin A1c. If you also add some exercise to that, it will help even more.

If you find this interesting I believe you will find the information in "The Special Effects Diet" very interesting also.

Enzinger C¹, Fazekas F, Matthews PM, Ropele S, Schmidt H, Smith S, Schmidt R. Risk factors for progression of brain atrophy in aging: six-year follow-up of normal subjects. Neurology. 2005 May 24;64(10):1704-11.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Too little or too much sleep can affect your memory

The reviewed study is interesting, not only because it investigated how very little sleep may affect your memory, but also how a lot of sleep can influence it(Devore EE,et.al.,2014).

The participants were 15,385 female nurses and 4 repeated assessments were performed over 6 years.

Women sleeping 5 hours or less had worse cognition than those who were sleeping 7 hours, and so did the women who slept more than 9 hours. Women whose sleep duration changed by 2 hours or more over time also had worse cognitive function than the women with no change in sleep duration.

It was concluded that extreme sleep duration at midlife and later life, and also extreme changes in sleep duration are associated with poor cognition in older women.

The message is that it is not only important to sleep well in your older years, but also how you sleep earlier in life may affect your memory when you get older.

Devore EE¹, Grodstein F, Duffy JF, Stampfer MJ, Czeisler CA, Schernhammer ES. Sleep duration in midlife and later life in relation to cognition. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Jun;62(6):1073-81. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12790. Epub 2014 May 1.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

How healthy is green tea?

Green tea seems to be one of the best things you can drink for your health. One of the reasons is that it contains a lot of antioxidants.

One of the most important things we can do to stay healthy is to be sure we stay insulin sensitive. When we are insulin sensitive the glucose is transferred from the blood into the cells very easily without the pancreas having to release a lot of insulin. This will keep the blood glucose at a low and normal level, and also help to keep inflammation low, both are very important if we want to be healthy.

The reviewed research investigated if green tea could improve glucose control and increase insulin sensitivity(Liu K, et.al.,2013).

17 studies were included in the analysis. It showed that green tea consumption significantly reduced the fasting glucose and Hemoglobin A1c. Hemoglobin A1c is a test for long-term glucose control.

If you don't like green tea and if you want to be sure your green tea does not contain a lot of pesticides, you can take it in capsule form like our "Better Green Tea" formula which meets the German standards for pesticide content, which is very strict.

Liu K¹, Zhou R, Wang B, Chen K, Shi LY, Zhu JD, Mi MT. Effect of green tea on glucose control and insulin sensitivity: a meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Aug;98(2):340-8. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.052746. Epub 2013 Jun 26.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Can exercise be dangerous?

We have all heard that exercise is healthy and it is, but is it healthy for everybody and are all types of exercises healthy?

This is what you need to know
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When lifelong competitive endurance veteran athletes were compared with younger endurance athletes and control age-matched participants, they were found to have myocardial fibrosis which is abnormal changes to the heart muscle(Wilson M,et.al.,2011).

This finding was significantly associated with the years spent training, the number of competitive marathons and ultra endurance marathons completed.

Keep in mind that this was hard endurance training and extreme endurance competition over a lifetime, it does not mean that exercise is not good, it just means that this type of activity does not seem to be the best.

Another study compared participants with coronary heart disease with different levels of physical activity(Mons U,et.al.,2014). They found that participating in strenuous endurance exercises more than 5 hours per week increased cardiovascular mortality. Exercising less than twice per week also increased the risk.

What does this all mean? It means that it is important to be sure you get enough recovery time, and long hours of endurance training is not the best way of spending your time. You are more likely going to reap more benefits if you do high intensity, short interval training and include some resistance training the other days.

One of the important things to keep in mind is that recovery from the exercise is as important as the exercise itself. Without proper recovery it just adds stress.

Mons U, Hahmann H, Brenner H. A reverse J-shaped association of leisure time physical activity with prognosis in patients with stable coronary heart disease: evidence from a large cohort with repeated measurements. Heart. 2014 May 14. pii: heartjnl-2013-305242. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2013-305242. [Epub ahead of print]

Wilson M, O'Hanlon R, Prasad S, Deighan A, Macmillan P, Oxborough D, Godfrey R, Smith G, Maceira A, Sharma S, George K, Whyte G. Diverse patterns of myocardial fibrosis in lifelong, veteran endurance athletes. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2011 Jun;110(6):1622-6. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01280.2010. Epub 2011 Feb 17.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.