Chronic Inflammation, Part 2 – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 499
Chronic inflammation can wreak havoc on the body, so what can you do to help? Turn to powerful nutrients such as Vitamin D, resveratrol and more to help with inflammaging.
Tag: Resveratrol
Getting the Maximum Out of Resveratrol – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 479
Resveratrol is commonly known for its anti-aging properties, but this nutrient actually packs a punch for the health of your brain, heart and more.
Resveratrol and Brain Protection – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 445
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InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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To protect our brain from the outside world in case we get conked on the head with something, we have a very hard skull. But what protects our brain from things that are inside of us that do not belong in our brain? We have a powerful shield called the blood-brain barrier and it’s pretty complex. The issue is that as we age, it can become a little bit porous. It can get a little bit leaky and things can get into our brain that don’t belong in there.†
The Importance of the Blood-Brain Barrier
So what exactly would our blood-brain barrier be protecting us from? We have viruses and bacteria in the body, but there’s also waste products, such as byproducts from energy utilization and muscle functions, toxins and our own immune system. These need to be kept out of our brain and that’s what the blood-brain barrier does.†
We have cells called astrocytes that look like stars that help to feed the brain and work as the brain’s immune system. Astrocytes that are located close to the blood-brain barrier have the ability to repair this shield. This, to a degree, is dependent on a gene called sirtuin 1. Sometimes, there’s an imbalance and the blood-brain barrier that shields our brain becomes leaky. Resveratrol can help correct this.†
With age, sirtuin 1 levels in the brain decline. This affects the brain in many ways. When this occurs, you’re not preparing the blood-brain barrier as efficiently and effectively as you used to and it starts to get leaky and porous. If this is severe enough, it can be involved with diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.†
Resveratrol and Brain Health
A number of studies have found that inflammation in the body can inflame and damage the blood-brain barrier. This also inflames the brain and creates swelling. When the brain swells, it’s no longer capable of detoxifying. You get the buildup of a protein called beta-amyloid that can potentially become toxic. This protein creates chains called oligomers that poison your brain cells and kill your nerve tissue. This can lead to Alzheimer’s.†
In some of these studies, researchers showed that giving Alzheimer’s patients resveratrol was helping them to function better and even remember a little bit better. When the researchers really dug down deep into the data, they saw that the resveratrol was helping to heal the blood-brain barrier, so the bad things could no longer penetrate into the brain. Inflammation of the brain went down and so did swelling. The brain was able to restart the detoxification mechanisms and breakdown and remove some of the plaques.†
Resveratrol is triggering the repair of the blood-brain barrier. What it seems to be doing is restoring sirtuin 1 activity in the brain, which allows for the reactivation of astrocytes to repair the blood-brain barrier. This makes having a really high-quality resveratrol supplement very worthwhile in your 50s.†
GRAPE SEED FOR HEALTHY CIRCULATION – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 22. Listen Now>>
There is another important function of resveratrol for the brain. It also helps to restore circulation to the brain. Resveratrol is probably the most vaso-active supplement you can take. In other words, it helps to restore circulation throughout the body. This is especially important for the aging brain. The brain uses about 20% of the energy from each meal and to get all of that energy to the brain, you need a really good circulatory system. With age, the lining of your blood vessels stiffen and thicken, making it difficult for this energy to flow throughout the body and to the brain. Research has shown that resveratrol helps to restore circulation to the aging brain and is also very good for memory and cognitive functions.†
In this episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. explains the important function of the blood brain barrier. He discusses how this shield helps protect the brain and delves into the ways resveratrol can help to keep it strong throughout the aging process.†
Key Topics:
- What is sirtuin 1?
- The dangers of getting toxins in the brain
- Research on resveratrol and brain health
Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.
Controlling Candida – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 432
Candida is a very common type of fungus that can cause issues such as oral thrush and yeast infections when it becomes overgrown. The good news is that there are steps you can take to help prevent this overgrowth.
Targeted Nutrients for Endometriosis – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 431
Ten percent of women suffer from endometriosis, a condition that occurs when endometrial cells begin to grow outside of the uterus. Studies have shown that there are nutrients that can help women who are dealing with this issue.
New Discoveries in Nutrition for Memory – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 388
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InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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There have been amazing discoveries about our brain that clearly affect ongoing good memory functions. But now there have been further discoveries on how we can improve these functions in the brain and ensure a better functioning memory, hopefully deep into old age.†
Important findings on the brain
One important discovery we can look at is the glymphatic system. This is how the brain detoxifies itself. It was discovered around 1985, but recently, it has been discovered that we can improve glymphatic function. This is very important because the ability to detoxify your brain declines with age.†
A second major discovery in the 1980s was that we release something at night while you sleep called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This is really important because we now know that it seeds the brain with new, well-functioning memory cells. The ability to improve this, though, has just been discovered in the last ten years.†
Lastly, we have the blood-brain barrier. This is a barrier that protects your brain from toxins and things that do not belong in the brain. This was discovered over a hundred years ago, but the possibility of repairing it was only discovered recently.†
Studies on memory and brain health
Studies have shown that there are nutrients that may help to bolster and improve these important aspects of the brain.†
When we look at the glymphatic system, for instance, we can look at a study that was done on patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers noted that the brain undergoes a period of inflammation that causes the brain to swell. This, in turn, can make it more difficult to wash toxins from the brain, allowing for toxins to build up and destroy brain cells. They also found that resveratrol may be beneficial in supporting people with this issue. Other nutrients that have been shown to help restore glymphatic activity include a well-absorbed turmeric and green tea.†
Other studies also show that fish oils, especially krill oil, can help people without Alzheimer’s disease support brain health and the glymphatic system. Krill oil also has phospholipids that are important for brain health.†
The next discovery is about rebuilding the brain. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is needed to help with the creation of new memory cells, but the release of this substance declines with age. Some studies have shown that the mineral zinc can help to restore the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in people with metabolic syndrome. Across the entire population, a well-absorbed curcumin can do the same.†
In this episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. discusses important findings about the brain that are relevant to memory health. He explains how these important aspects of the brain were discovered and provides recommendations for nutrients that can help support overall brain health and memory function.†
Key Topics:
- The function of the glymphatic system
- Studies looking at Alzheimer’s patients
- Why is sleep so important for the brain?
- What is cognitive reserve?
- Details on the blood-brain barrier
Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.
