May 5, 2025 • 23 mins
In this enlightening episode, Dr. Steven Storage challenges the common belief that brain health is predetermined by genetics. Through his innovative research and clinical experience, he demonstrates how lifestyle choices can significantly impact cognitive function and neurological wellbeing—even for those with genetic risk factors.
The conversation explores how these evidence-based interventions can physically change brain structure within months, offering hope and practical solutions for anyone concerned about cognitive performance or decline. Dr. Storage emphasizes that with the right approach, we can take control of our brain health regardless of genetic predisposition.
Whether seeking to enhance everyday mental clarity or prevent age-related cognitive issues, listeners will gain valuable insights into caring for what Dr. Storage calls our most valuable asset: the brain.
To watch the segment with Dr. Steven Storage and Sabrina, The Sabrina Soto Show:
https://www.sabrinasoto.com/the-sabrina-soto-show/
Connect with Sabrina on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sabrina_soto
Connect with Dr. Steven Storage here:
https://www.amenclinics.com/team/steven-storage-md/
Dr. Steven Storage on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drstevenstorage
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to a special edition of Redesigning Life.
Many of you know I have a newshow called the Sabrina Soto
Show Out and I was able toinvite amazing experts in their
fields just to come in and havea great conversation.
But because it's a show, wehave to edit it down.
Now, these conversations, theywere so good that I wanted to
(00:20):
publish the raw, uneditedversion, and that's what this
episode is.
You're going to hear action andyou may hear a crew in the
background, but I wanted topublish this so you can really
listen to the entire chat.
So here you go.
Hi, steven.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hi, good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Good to see you too.
I want to dive in.
You are all about brain health,that's right, I want to dive in
.
You are all about brain health.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
And unfortunately it's top of mind.
No pun intended for me now,because I just found out that I
have the double gene of Ibelieve it's APOE4.
That's right and for people whoknow Chris Helmsworth right, he
has the same thing and fromwhat I've been told, it
basically means that I was toldthat I will get Alzheimer's and
(01:07):
dementia.
Is that true?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
That's absolutely not true, and this is actually the
big part of our practice that wetry to focus on, which is
number one.
Mental health is brain health,but number two is you're not
stuck with the brain you have.
So it is true that having theAPOE4 gene increases risk of
developing Alzheimer's.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
What if I have the double?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
It increases it a bit more.
So if you have a single gene,it increases it by about 2.5
times and double it's about 10times the risk.
But that doesn't mean you'redestined to get it, and there
are things you can be doing eventoday that help prevent your
brain from heading in thatdirection.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah.
So I took a test and I believeit was the Dutch test that came
back with this Is that right?
It may have been a genetic test, a genetic test, okay.
So then I was told theinformation, then kind of never
heard back from that doctor forany protocol.
And I know that this ispersonal to me, but I feel like
now more than ever people aretalking about brain health
because the brain controlseverything, and I think for the
(02:03):
last decade, or even more, wehaven't.
We've been talking more aboutmuscles and just the things that
you eat for losing weight.
But can you explain to meexactly what this gene is?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, sure.
So the APOE gene.
There can be various differentcopies of it, and copy number
four increases risk ofdeveloping things like
Alzheimerzheimer's and alsoother cardiovascular issues.
So if you have a one bad copyof the gene, uh, it increases
risk of alzheimer's by about 2.5.
Two copies, it increases therisk by 10.
But here's the problem that'srisk, that doesn't mean destiny,
(02:37):
right?
So if you have two copies, likeyou do, it doesn't mean you're
destined to have alzheimer'sdisease and there's things you
can do about it.
Now, this is a problem withmedicine.
Historically, the way it'spracticed is you get that report
and then it's like okay, goodluck on your way.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yes, that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Which is awful, and it causes so much anxiety in
people when in reality there arethings we could actively be
doing every single day tomitigate that risk.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I know I feel that's exactly how I feel, because I
was given this diagnosis.
I was just been like, oh, thisis what it is.
I have no protocol, I have noway, I don't know what to eat, I
don't know what supplements totake.
And I think you and I, lasttime we were talking, you were
saying that the brain like whenpeople talk about depression,
they basically give medicationbut they don't look at the brain
.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
That's right.
Yeah, it's the only field inmedicine where doctors aren't
really looking at the organthey're treating.
So I'm a psychiatrist.
Traditionally, the way apsychiatrist practices is the
patient comes in, sits on acouch, talks about the symptoms
they're having.
You look at a checklist and yousee how many of those symptoms
match up with a particulardiagnosis.
You give that diagnosis andthen you probably give a
(03:43):
medicine to go along with it andthat's it.
And that's old school.
That's how psychiatry waspracticed when Abraham Lincoln
was president.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
So what's new school?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
New school is actually looking at the organ
that we're talking about.
So in our clinic we dosomething called SPECT scans and
that's a type of brain scanthat looks at blood flow in the
brain.
Blood flow in the brain tellsyou about activity level in the
brain.
So if there's a part of thebrain that has really high
activity, it's going to havehigh blood flow, low activity,
low blood flow and depending onwhat you see there, it can give
(04:10):
you some really important clues.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
And by looking at that brain scan you could see
why people maybe are battlingwith depression or anxiety or
any other ailment that's mental.
But how does the brain affectyou physically?
What things can happen to yourbody when your brain starts to
break down?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
The brain controls absolutely everything.
So the brain is the mostmiraculous, complex organ in our
body.
I'm biased, but that's reallymy belief.
There's more connections in thebrain than there are stars in
the known universe.
So 100 billion stars in ourgalaxy, one of 100 billion
galaxies.
Multiply those numbers togetherby another 100, and that's
what's going on up here.
100 billion stars in our galaxy, one of 100 billion galaxies.
Multiply those numbers togetherby another 100.
And that's what's going on uphere.
(04:47):
So it's literally controllingevery thought, every emotion,
our goals, our physical health.
It's controlling how our heartis beating, how we're breathing,
our blood pressure.
I mean, all of these thingscome back to brain health.
So if the health of our brainis not on point, how can we be
healthy?
Speaker 1 (05:05):
period Well we can't, but I don't feel like anyone is
really discussing this right.
Am I wrong?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Well, no, you're not wrong, and I think people don't
discuss it, in part because,even though we're using our
brain to think about everything,we don't see it right, like
it's hiding.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Right, but we see our muscles.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We see our muscles, we see our belly, we see all the
other things that we focus on,but we don't really think about
our brain, even though we reallyshould be.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
So if somebody is watching this and maybe they
don't have what I'm dealing with, but just brain health in
general is important foreveryone, especially, I think,
people in my age I'mperimetopause, and so what sort
of foods or what supplementsshould we be looking at in order
to optimize brain health?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, so great question.
The best type of diet for brainhealth is a Mediterranean style
diet that leans paleo.
So what I tell people isthere's a handful of things to
avoid and then there's a fewthings to really try to optimize
.
The things you're trying toavoid are any types of foods
that increase inflammation inthe brain.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Which are.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Refined sugar.
Okay, okay, refined sugar.
We all know sugar is not goodfor us, but it turns out it's
really, really not good for ourbrain.
Processed foods.
So if you read the label andyou can't pronounce what's in it
, or it's a really long list, oryou couldn't buy one of those
ingredients on its own at thesame grocery store.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Oh, I like that tip.
If you can't buy the ingredienton its own, you shouldn't be
eating that food.
That's right, okay.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And then also gluten.
Actually, especially in the US,gluten can be very, very
inflammatory, the way it's beengrown over centuries.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Even if you don't have a sensitivity.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Even if you don't have a sensitivity.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, even if you don't have a sensitivity and
there are a lot of peoplewalking around that do have a
sensitivity and don't evenrealize it, and there's testing
that can be done for that too.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Right.
So gluten, sugar and processedfoods what do you think is worse
for your body, sugar or alcohol?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Oh, that's like picking.
Would I rather be strangled orsuffocated.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
I would rather be suffocated.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I would rather be suffocated.
That'll be the lead in for that.
I think both are not good foryour brain and even a little bit
of alcohol turns out to not bea brain healthy thing.
I think the wine industry for along time propagated that a
(07:24):
glass of red wine at night is agood idea, and yes, there are
some ingredients within winethat maybe could provide some
benefit.
But alcohol ethanol in and ofitself is a real brain healthy
amount.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
So you don't drink at all.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I rarely, rarely drink.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Rarely, yeah, and I think I was thinking about this
yesterday.
Now we're all telling everybody, like obviously everyone knows
not to smoke, and so everyone'ssaying drink responsibly.
But what if we said smokeresponsibly?
It would sound ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
That's right yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
And I think that now it's more.
People are talking about howalcohol is such a poison to your
body.
So now we have alcohol, gluten,processed foods and sugars, but
you're eliminating as much aspossible.
Yeah, I mean, but you can justnot eat processed foods.
So if somebody is listening, itjust seems like eliminating
(08:13):
that completely out of theirlives is almost impossible.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It can feel really, really hard and I'm not an
extremist when it comes to diet.
I think it's really importantto be conscious about the
decisions we're making.
It's a nice idea to askyourself before anything is this
good for my brain or bad for mybrain?
Just as a simple exercise?
And yes, sometimes you're goingto have gluten, sometimes
you're going to have sugar.
You may have a drink every nowand then, but just be conscious
(08:39):
about it so it doesn't become abig habit and the mainstay for
how you get your nutrients.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Okay, so now we know what to eliminate.
What are the things that wecould be incorporating into our
lives either supplements orfoods to help our brain optimize
?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Yeah, so the best type of diet is a Mediterranean
style diet.
Which is okay, so like yeahtell me Lean protein, right, so
assuming someone's notvegetarian or vegan.
Yeah, salmon, wild caughtsalmon is loaded with omega-3s.
Omega-3s are so important forbrain health.
You think about things likechicken you think about turkey
(09:14):
eggs?
Speaker 1 (09:14):
bison is a nice-.
Wait a minute, dr Eamon saideggs are bad.
No, eggs are okay Eggs are okayyeah.
Oh my, I can't keep track, Okay, good, good, I'm glad because I
can't.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
So eggs are okay, and I give my kids eggs probably
every other morning.
Okay, plant-based proteins.
In terms of healthy fats, thebrain itself is 60% fat after
you take the water out, so wereally need to be eating good
fats.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Tofu.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Tofu is a nice protein source, but but is it
considered processed to you?
Not necessarily.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Okay.
So tofu's, okay Beans.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, beans, okay Avocados.
You have some avocados on thetray here.
Avocados are loaded withhealthy fats which support brain
health.
You think about things likenuts seeds?
The only two oils that I reallyrecommend people using are
avocado oil for high temperatureand olive oil for low
temperature.
Other seed oils can be prettyinflammatory.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
This is a new thing, too, that I'm hearing about.
I have, I think, in the lastsix months, heard more about
seed oils than I ever wanted to,but I still am confused.
Which seed oils are okay, whichare not, how can we use them,
or should we be using them atall?
Speaker 2 (10:20):
As a rule of thumb, I recommend sticking with avocado
oil and olive oil.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
But seed oil is in everything.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And it can be hard.
It can be hard to filterthrough that stuff.
This is why it's important toread labels, you know, because
if you ever have the opportunityto make a choice between two
options and one doesn't have aseed oil and one does then you
can make that choice.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
And the seed oils we're talking about, like canola
oil, vegetable oil, all of theany.
Yep, yeah, Okay, right, so noneof that.
What else?
What else could like fruits?
Are there specific fruits thatare better than others?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
You've got some great ones on the tray here.
So, generally, what I recommendto people is try to eat the
rainbow every day, right, so notSkittles, but you know, red
orange, et cetera.
So, um, berries are a greatexample of a brain healthy food.
Berries are loaded withantioxidants, vitamin C that
supports good brain health.
(11:10):
Melons also are a really,really good option.
Oranges that you have theregreat option loaded with vitamin
C that prevents cognitivedecline.
Pomegranate loaded withpolyphenols, which also reduce
oxidative stress in the brainand help maintain brain health.
And then, in terms ofvegetables, really you're not
going to go wrong with anything.
(11:31):
I mean broccoli is.
If I had to pick one vegetable,I would go broccoli, just
because it's loaded with all ofthe essential, many of the
essential vitamins and mineralsthat we need for our healthy
brain.
And then for carbohydrates,really you want complex
carbohydrates.
So things like Brown rice Brownrice is a good idea, especially
if you rinse it beforehand toget the arsenic out.
(11:51):
All these things to remember.
I know it's a lot to juggle.
Sweet potatoes are a greatexample of something that
provides you with a sustainedglucose level, because our brain
does need glucose.
It runs on glucose.
You just don't want the sugarspikes and crashes.
That's what really robs us ofour cognitive abilities over the
course of the day.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
So then, what sugar do you eat?
Monk fruit okay, is stevia okay.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Stevia.
Like of the sugar substitutes,I'd say stevia is probably the
best bet.
Monk fruit is pretty solid too.
Erythritol has some data thatit can upset sort of the gut
microbiome, so not great.
And then obviously things likeaspartame you don't really want
to touch.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Right, I think everyone knows that by now.
Yes, I lived through the 80s.
And then what about when itcomes to supplements?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
So I think everybody should be on a brain-directed
multivitamin, and by that I meansomething that has all the
essential minerals and vitaminsthat you need.
I think omega-3s are critical.
Most people aren't gettingenough omega-3s in their diet,
even if they're eating plenty offish, it's hard to maintain an
adequate omega-3 level.
(12:56):
And then also vitamin D.
Vitamin D is pretty important.
Most of us are vitamin Ddeficient or insufficient, and
vitamin D has been linked withcognitive decline, overall
executive functioning, and soit's important to maintain a
good balance there.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
And I've seen also, because then that can get
complicated, because Dssometimes come with other ones.
So just a regular D, amultivitamin and An omega-3.
An omega-3.
That's it Just starting there.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Be just as a baseline for most people and obviously
consult with your physician,because different people are
different and maybe someone hasa high vitamin D.
You don't want to go too highbecause then that starts robbing
you of calcium from your bones,so it's important to make sure
that you're talking to someoneabout everything, so walk me
through.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
I mean, you are the expert in this field, so sort of
just walk me through a typicalday for you.
Is there movement?
Is there meditation?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
There's movement almost every day.
I try to get at least 20minutes of high intensity cardio
most days out of the week, andthe reason I choose that is
because that has the best datafor supporting brain health.
So anything that gets us to aheart rate that's like close to
80% of our maximum heart rateand we sustain that for about 20
minutes or so is linked withimproved cognition and a slowing
(14:12):
of cognitive decline, Becausethe problem is, as we all age,
our brain is slowly declining.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Is that why I have brain fog now?
Well, like in perimenopause andmenopausal women, does the
brain fog come because we'reaging, or is it because of the
hormones?
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Or is it because of life changes, too, that are
happening at the same time?
I think it's all of the above,because women going through
perimenopause are oftenexperiencing sleep disturbance,
which has a huge impact on brainhealth, hormonal fluctuations,
which has a huge impact on brainhealth.
A lot of times, people who haveADHD type symptoms notice them
first when they're enteringperimenopause, and so that can
feel like distractibility,difficulty with organization,
these types of things, and so Isee a lot of people in our
(14:54):
clinic who are feeling like forthe first time ever, they're not
able to focus, when that wasn'tan issue for them before.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
When they're in perimenopause.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
And what about sleep?
You mentioned sleep.
I have heard anything betweenyou know some people don't need
as much sleep and then somepeople you're supposed to get
eight to nine hours.
I mean, that's just notpossible for a lot of people.
So how does the lack of sleepattribute to brain damage?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Well, interestingly, sleep is a very active process
for our brain.
It's not just that our brainturns off.
Actually, it's cleaning itselfand in fact, it's eliminating
some of those amyloid betaplaques that build up.
What is that we talked about?
Speaker 1 (15:33):
the Apo Pretend I'm a five-year-old.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Sure, we talked about the ApoE4 gene earlier.
When people have two copies ofthe ApoE4 gene, they accumulate
a plaque called amyloid beta intheir brain at a higher rate,
and so during sleep that plaqueis cleared in part.
So maintaining important sleephelps you clear out that junk.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
So that you can keep the health of your brain.
So how many hours are we?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
looking at?
Clear out that junk so that youcan keep the health of your
brain.
So how many hours are welooking at?
Even more important than hoursis quality of sleep.
So I think on average,somewhere between seven or eight
hours is a nice sweet spot formost people.
But a lot of people aresleeping for seven or eight
hours and they're not actuallygetting into deep sleep.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
What are they doing?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
They're scrolling, so I mean the main like tips that
I tell people for sleep is wakeup the same time every day, no
matter what, and get sun on yourface.
Wake up time is even moreimportant than when you go to
bed, why it sets your circadianrhythm for the next 24 hours but
what if it's the weekend and Iwant to sleep in?
You'll pay for it.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
So what if you have a busy schedule and you don't?
Maybe you work different jobsthat's not on the same time.
How do you get into a rhythmlike that?
Speaker 2 (16:46):
So If you ever deviate from the rhythm, the
rule of thumb is however muchsleep you've missed, you need to
overcompensate the next nightby about 50% of the amount of
sleep you missed.
So, for example, if you'retrying to get eight hours a
night, one night you only gettwo.
You're at a deficit of six.
(17:06):
So the next night you want totry to get three extra hours, if
possible.
Now that might not be possibleand you might accumulate that
deficit over time.
Yeah, but it's a question ofwhat am I prioritizing in my
life?
Speaker 1 (17:17):
And eating before sleep lots of sugar.
Even alcohol can disturb yoursleep.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
So a hundred percent.
Yeah, alcohol, especiallyalcohol, disturbs REM sleep,
which is the part of sleep wherereally most of the action's
happening.
So people who drink alcoholmight fall asleep faster, but
they're usually going to noticethat the sleep is more restless
or they're going to wake upearlier than they intended.
So wake-up time's reallyimportant.
The other one is only use thebed for sleep or romantic
(17:43):
activity, that's it.
Wait wait, hold on.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Stephen, you can say sex.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Okay, or sex, sleep or sex.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
That's it, rom, steven, you can say sex Okay, or
sex, sleep or sex.
That's it Got it.
Romantic activity what are you?
80?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
You might have kids watching.
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Okay, wait, and then I have a problem falling asleep.
Is it okay to take melatonin?
Speaker 2 (18:04):
It's okay to take melatonin sometimes, but the
brain is really only producingabout 0.1 milligrams of
melatonin a night.
So when we're takingover-the-counter stuff that's
like 5, 10 milligrams, it'sactually way more than necessary
.
So if you take melatonin, takea low dose, like a milligram or
two, but don't take it too oftenbecause it's a hormone
(18:26):
disruptor and it can affect yourbody's natural way of producing
melatonin.
So instead, magnesium glycinateis a great example.
So magnesium glycinate ishealthy.
You're not going to messanything up taking magnesium
glycinate and for most people,200 to 400 milligrams of that
before bed can be very, veryhelpful.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
What about valerian root?
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Valerian root can be okay too.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Every day.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
I would probably not use it every day.
Okay, yeah, yeah, I think ifyou were to think about a
supplement to use every day forsleep, magnesium glycinate would
be the go-to.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Right before sleep.
Yeah, Because there are so manydifferent magnesiums so you
have to find the right one.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yeah, if you take magnesium citrate before sleep,
you might just-.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
That's for constipation.
Yeah, that is for constipation,but also a good tip.
If you're constipated, look forthat.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
But maybe take it in the morning Right, right, not
before sleep.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
I swear he said that not to start your day off with
eggs.
I don't know why, but of coursethen I think eggs are really
important to people.
Yeah, eggs.
Eggs are important to people.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Eggs are really good.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
But organic eggs obviously.
Yeah, I've heard from otherexperts that eggs are
inflammatory and not great foryou, but that's not the case.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
That's not the case and obviously if you dive into
any specific food, if too muchof that is consumed, it's going
to present some kind of problem.
So this is where it goes backto moderation and being
reasonable with how much we'reeating.
So if someone's eating a dozeneggs every morning, it's
probably not going to be greatfor them, but a couple eggs here
and there, you know.
I think it's totally fine.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
When it comes to not eating before bed.
What if somebody is hungry orthey wake up in the middle of
the night hungry and it helpsthem to eat to go back to sleep?
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Oftentimes the reason that people wake up in the
middle of the night hungry isbecause they've had a lot of
simple carbohydrates for dinner,because usually what happens is
you get a big insulin spike,your sugar drops soon afterwards
and then you've got the hungercue.
So what I recommend to peopleis try to have a lot of protein
and a lot of healthy fat withyour dinner, because that's
going to sustain you for longer.
And if you do have carbscomplex carbs like sweet
(20:30):
potatoes, quinoa, millet, wildrice as examples.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Do you do intermittent fasting?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
I do.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Okay, so that's okay.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Yeah, that's totally okay.
I'm doing something right, I'ma fan of the 16-hour
intermittent fast, six days aweek.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Okay, yeah.
So even if somebody is eatingthe paleo Mediterranean diet,
all the good foods.
So even if somebody is eatingthe paleo Mediterranean diet,
all the good foods, you stillrecommend a vitamin D.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Vitamin D for sure, because it's really really hard
to get vitamin D just from foodalone, and for multivitamins it
sort of depends, right Like, thehealthier we are and the more
balanced of a diet we consume,the less reliant we are on a
multivitamin.
But, that being said, food isnot as nutrient dense as it once
was, and so it probablybehooves us to take a
multivitamin.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Wait, what do you think about caffeine?
Speaker 2 (21:21):
That's a very, very personal subject, because I am
reliant on caffeine to a degree,but we also know that excess
caffeine constricts blood flowto our brain.
So my place that I've landed isI'll have a cup or two of black
coffee each morning and thenthat's my caffeine intake for
the day, and then beyond thatyou don't really want caffeine
(21:43):
after you know two o'clockbecause it's going to make it
very, very hard to fall asleep.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Noted.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Noted.
Then my last question aboutsupplements.
There are supplements that arebrain health, you know, like
that's what they are, like brainoptimizers.
Should I be taking that?
Should people be taking that athome?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I think it depends on what the person is trying to
accomplish and what risk they'retrying to overcome.
So you opened by talking aboutthe ApoE4 gene mutation.
I think for you there are somespecific brain supplements that
would be helpful to take Thingslike Ginkgo, things like
Hooperzine, things likeN-acetylcysteine and you and I
can talk about that offline, butit depends on who the person is
(22:23):
and what they're trying toaccomplish.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Okay, I think this is good.
I now know what to eat, whatnot to eat, how much sleep is.
I have to stop taking melatonin.
I really do take 10 milligramsa night.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Anything beyond five has been shown in studies to
actually not do much of anything.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I feel like it does a lot, and I watch the Golden
Girls in bed and that's notromantic activity, let me tell
you.
Thank you.
Thank you, dr Storridge,seriously, and I'm glad that
you're in my life because I needall the help I can get.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
I'm happy to help.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
I appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
I feel like I've gotten smarter since you've
known me.
No, no, I think that I'velearned a lot from our
conversation.
I know our viewers have learneda lot, because it's never too
late.
I know you've told me and thereare things that we could do.
So the top three exercise,foods and sleep.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Absolutely and ultimately.
We're not stuck with the brain.
We have no matter what.
No matter what and we've proventhis in our research you can
have someone do a scan of theirbrain at one point and have them
redo that scan six months, 12months later and you can see a
very different looking brain.
So we do have a lot morecontrol than we realized.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
That gives me so much hope.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome, Nice meetingyou no you can't say that we're
friends, oh, okay.
Welcome to a special edition of Redesigning Life.
Many of you know I have a newshow called the Sabrina Soto
Show Out and I was able toinvite amazing experts in their
fields just to come in and havea great conversation.
But because it's a show, wehave to edit it down.
Now, these conversations, theywere so good that I wanted to
(00:20):
publish the raw, uneditedversion, and that's what this
episode is.
You're going to hear action andyou may hear a crew in the
background, but I wanted topublish this so you can really
listen to the entire chat.
So here you go.
Hi, steven.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hi, good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Good to see you too.
I want to dive in.
You are all about brain health,that's right, I want to dive in
.
You are all about brain health.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
And unfortunately it's top of mind.
No pun intended for me now,because I just found out that I
have the double gene of Ibelieve it's APOE4.
That's right and for people whoknow Chris Helmsworth right, he
has the same thing and fromwhat I've been told, it
basically means that I was toldthat I will get Alzheimer's and
(01:07):
dementia.
Is that true?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
That's absolutely not true, and this is actually the
big part of our practice that wetry to focus on, which is
number one.
Mental health is brain health,but number two is you're not
stuck with the brain you have.
So it is true that having theAPOE4 gene increases risk of
developing Alzheimer's.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
What if I have the double?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
It increases it a bit more.
So if you have a single gene,it increases it by about 2.5
times and double it's about 10times the risk.
But that doesn't mean you'redestined to get it, and there
are things you can be doing eventoday that help prevent your
brain from heading in thatdirection.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah.
So I took a test and I believeit was the Dutch test that came
back with this Is that right?
It may have been a genetic test, a genetic test, okay.
So then I was told theinformation, then kind of never
heard back from that doctor forany protocol.
And I know that this ispersonal to me, but I feel like
now more than ever people aretalking about brain health
because the brain controlseverything, and I think for the
(02:03):
last decade, or even more, wehaven't.
We've been talking more aboutmuscles and just the things that
you eat for losing weight.
But can you explain to meexactly what this gene is?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, sure.
So the APOE gene.
There can be various differentcopies of it, and copy number
four increases risk ofdeveloping things like
Alzheimerzheimer's and alsoother cardiovascular issues.
So if you have a one bad copyof the gene, uh, it increases
risk of alzheimer's by about 2.5.
Two copies, it increases therisk by 10.
But here's the problem that'srisk, that doesn't mean destiny,
(02:37):
right?
So if you have two copies, likeyou do, it doesn't mean you're
destined to have alzheimer'sdisease and there's things you
can do about it.
Now, this is a problem withmedicine.
Historically, the way it'spracticed is you get that report
and then it's like okay, goodluck on your way.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yes, that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Which is awful, and it causes so much anxiety in
people when in reality there arethings we could actively be
doing every single day tomitigate that risk.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I know I feel that's exactly how I feel, because I
was given this diagnosis.
I was just been like, oh, thisis what it is.
I have no protocol, I have noway, I don't know what to eat, I
don't know what supplements totake.
And I think you and I, lasttime we were talking, you were
saying that the brain like whenpeople talk about depression,
they basically give medicationbut they don't look at the brain
.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
That's right.
Yeah, it's the only field inmedicine where doctors aren't
really looking at the organthey're treating.
So I'm a psychiatrist.
Traditionally, the way apsychiatrist practices is the
patient comes in, sits on acouch, talks about the symptoms
they're having.
You look at a checklist and yousee how many of those symptoms
match up with a particulardiagnosis.
You give that diagnosis andthen you probably give a
(03:43):
medicine to go along with it andthat's it.
And that's old school.
That's how psychiatry waspracticed when Abraham Lincoln
was president.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
So what's new school?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
New school is actually looking at the organ
that we're talking about.
So in our clinic we dosomething called SPECT scans and
that's a type of brain scanthat looks at blood flow in the
brain.
Blood flow in the brain tellsyou about activity level in the
brain.
So if there's a part of thebrain that has really high
activity, it's going to havehigh blood flow, low activity,
low blood flow and depending onwhat you see there, it can give
(04:10):
you some really important clues.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
And by looking at that brain scan you could see
why people maybe are battlingwith depression or anxiety or
any other ailment that's mental.
But how does the brain affectyou physically?
What things can happen to yourbody when your brain starts to
break down?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
The brain controls absolutely everything.
So the brain is the mostmiraculous, complex organ in our
body.
I'm biased, but that's reallymy belief.
There's more connections in thebrain than there are stars in
the known universe.
So 100 billion stars in ourgalaxy, one of 100 billion
galaxies.
Multiply those numbers togetherby another 100, and that's
what's going on up here.
100 billion stars in our galaxy, one of 100 billion galaxies.
Multiply those numbers togetherby another 100.
And that's what's going on uphere.
(04:47):
So it's literally controllingevery thought, every emotion,
our goals, our physical health.
It's controlling how our heartis beating, how we're breathing,
our blood pressure.
I mean, all of these thingscome back to brain health.
So if the health of our brainis not on point, how can we be
healthy?
Speaker 1 (05:05):
period Well we can't, but I don't feel like anyone is
really discussing this right.
Am I wrong?
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Well, no, you're not wrong, and I think people don't
discuss it, in part because,even though we're using our
brain to think about everything,we don't see it right, like
it's hiding.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Right, but we see our muscles.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We see our muscles, we see our belly, we see all the
other things that we focus on,but we don't really think about
our brain, even though we reallyshould be.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
So if somebody is watching this and maybe they
don't have what I'm dealing with, but just brain health in
general is important foreveryone, especially, I think,
people in my age I'mperimetopause, and so what sort
of foods or what supplementsshould we be looking at in order
to optimize brain health?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, so great question.
The best type of diet for brainhealth is a Mediterranean style
diet that leans paleo.
So what I tell people isthere's a handful of things to
avoid and then there's a fewthings to really try to optimize
.
The things you're trying toavoid are any types of foods
that increase inflammation inthe brain.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Which are.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Refined sugar.
Okay, okay, refined sugar.
We all know sugar is not goodfor us, but it turns out it's
really, really not good for ourbrain.
Processed foods.
So if you read the label andyou can't pronounce what's in it
, or it's a really long list, oryou couldn't buy one of those
ingredients on its own at thesame grocery store.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Oh, I like that tip.
If you can't buy the ingredienton its own, you shouldn't be
eating that food.
That's right, okay.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And then also gluten.
Actually, especially in the US,gluten can be very, very
inflammatory, the way it's beengrown over centuries.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Even if you don't have a sensitivity.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Even if you don't have a sensitivity.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, even if you don't have a sensitivity and
there are a lot of peoplewalking around that do have a
sensitivity and don't evenrealize it, and there's testing
that can be done for that too.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Right.
So gluten, sugar and processedfoods what do you think is worse
for your body, sugar or alcohol?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Oh, that's like picking.
Would I rather be strangled orsuffocated.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
I would rather be suffocated.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I would rather be suffocated.
That'll be the lead in for that.
I think both are not good foryour brain and even a little bit
of alcohol turns out to not bea brain healthy thing.
I think the wine industry for along time propagated that a
(07:24):
glass of red wine at night is agood idea, and yes, there are
some ingredients within winethat maybe could provide some
benefit.
But alcohol ethanol in and ofitself is a real brain healthy
amount.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
So you don't drink at all.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I rarely, rarely drink.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Rarely, yeah, and I think I was thinking about this
yesterday.
Now we're all telling everybody, like obviously everyone knows
not to smoke, and so everyone'ssaying drink responsibly.
But what if we said smokeresponsibly?
It would sound ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
That's right yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
And I think that now it's more.
People are talking about howalcohol is such a poison to your
body.
So now we have alcohol, gluten,processed foods and sugars, but
you're eliminating as much aspossible.
Yeah, I mean, but you can justnot eat processed foods.
So if somebody is listening, itjust seems like eliminating
(08:13):
that completely out of theirlives is almost impossible.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It can feel really, really hard and I'm not an
extremist when it comes to diet.
I think it's really importantto be conscious about the
decisions we're making.
It's a nice idea to askyourself before anything is this
good for my brain or bad for mybrain?
Just as a simple exercise?
And yes, sometimes you're goingto have gluten, sometimes
you're going to have sugar.
You may have a drink every nowand then, but just be conscious
(08:39):
about it so it doesn't become abig habit and the mainstay for
how you get your nutrients.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Okay, so now we know what to eliminate.
What are the things that wecould be incorporating into our
lives either supplements orfoods to help our brain optimize
?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Yeah, so the best type of diet is a Mediterranean
style diet.
Which is okay, so like yeahtell me Lean protein, right, so
assuming someone's notvegetarian or vegan.
Yeah, salmon, wild caughtsalmon is loaded with omega-3s.
Omega-3s are so important forbrain health.
You think about things likechicken you think about turkey
(09:14):
eggs?
Speaker 1 (09:14):
bison is a nice-.
Wait a minute, dr Eamon saideggs are bad.
No, eggs are okay Eggs are okayyeah.
Oh my, I can't keep track, Okay, good, good, I'm glad because I
can't.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
So eggs are okay, and I give my kids eggs probably
every other morning.
Okay, plant-based proteins.
In terms of healthy fats, thebrain itself is 60% fat after
you take the water out, so wereally need to be eating good
fats.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Tofu.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Tofu is a nice protein source, but but is it
considered processed to you?
Not necessarily.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Okay.
So tofu's, okay Beans.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, beans, okay Avocados.
You have some avocados on thetray here.
Avocados are loaded withhealthy fats which support brain
health.
You think about things likenuts seeds?
The only two oils that I reallyrecommend people using are
avocado oil for high temperatureand olive oil for low
temperature.
Other seed oils can be prettyinflammatory.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
This is a new thing, too, that I'm hearing about.
I have, I think, in the lastsix months, heard more about
seed oils than I ever wanted to,but I still am confused.
Which seed oils are okay, whichare not, how can we use them,
or should we be using them atall?
Speaker 2 (10:20):
As a rule of thumb, I recommend sticking with avocado
oil and olive oil.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
But seed oil is in everything.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
And it can be hard.
It can be hard to filterthrough that stuff.
This is why it's important toread labels, you know, because
if you ever have the opportunityto make a choice between two
options and one doesn't have aseed oil and one does then you
can make that choice.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
And the seed oils we're talking about, like canola
oil, vegetable oil, all of theany.
Yep, yeah, Okay, right, so noneof that.
What else?
What else could like fruits?
Are there specific fruits thatare better than others?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
You've got some great ones on the tray here.
So, generally, what I recommendto people is try to eat the
rainbow every day, right, so notSkittles, but you know, red
orange, et cetera.
So, um, berries are a greatexample of a brain healthy food.
Berries are loaded withantioxidants, vitamin C that
supports good brain health.
(11:10):
Melons also are a really,really good option.
Oranges that you have theregreat option loaded with vitamin
C that prevents cognitivedecline.
Pomegranate loaded withpolyphenols, which also reduce
oxidative stress in the brainand help maintain brain health.
And then, in terms ofvegetables, really you're not
going to go wrong with anything.
(11:31):
I mean broccoli is.
If I had to pick one vegetable,I would go broccoli, just
because it's loaded with all ofthe essential, many of the
essential vitamins and mineralsthat we need for our healthy
brain.
And then for carbohydrates,really you want complex
carbohydrates.
So things like Brown rice Brownrice is a good idea, especially
if you rinse it beforehand toget the arsenic out.
(11:51):
All these things to remember.
I know it's a lot to juggle.
Sweet potatoes are a greatexample of something that
provides you with a sustainedglucose level, because our brain
does need glucose.
It runs on glucose.
You just don't want the sugarspikes and crashes.
That's what really robs us ofour cognitive abilities over the
course of the day.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
So then, what sugar do you eat?
Monk fruit okay, is stevia okay.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Stevia.
Like of the sugar substitutes,I'd say stevia is probably the
best bet.
Monk fruit is pretty solid too.
Erythritol has some data thatit can upset sort of the gut
microbiome, so not great.
And then obviously things likeaspartame you don't really want
to touch.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Right, I think everyone knows that by now.
Yes, I lived through the 80s.
And then what about when itcomes to supplements?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
So I think everybody should be on a brain-directed
multivitamin, and by that I meansomething that has all the
essential minerals and vitaminsthat you need.
I think omega-3s are critical.
Most people aren't gettingenough omega-3s in their diet,
even if they're eating plenty offish, it's hard to maintain an
adequate omega-3 level.
(12:56):
And then also vitamin D.
Vitamin D is pretty important.
Most of us are vitamin Ddeficient or insufficient, and
vitamin D has been linked withcognitive decline, overall
executive functioning, and soit's important to maintain a
good balance there.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
And I've seen also, because then that can get
complicated, because Dssometimes come with other ones.
So just a regular D, amultivitamin and An omega-3.
An omega-3.
That's it Just starting there.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Be just as a baseline for most people and obviously
consult with your physician,because different people are
different and maybe someone hasa high vitamin D.
You don't want to go too highbecause then that starts robbing
you of calcium from your bones,so it's important to make sure
that you're talking to someoneabout everything, so walk me
through.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
I mean, you are the expert in this field, so sort of
just walk me through a typicalday for you.
Is there movement?
Is there meditation?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
There's movement almost every day.
I try to get at least 20minutes of high intensity cardio
most days out of the week, andthe reason I choose that is
because that has the best datafor supporting brain health.
So anything that gets us to aheart rate that's like close to
80% of our maximum heart rateand we sustain that for about 20
minutes or so is linked withimproved cognition and a slowing
(14:12):
of cognitive decline, Becausethe problem is, as we all age,
our brain is slowly declining.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Is that why I have brain fog now?
Well, like in perimenopause andmenopausal women, does the
brain fog come because we'reaging, or is it because of the
hormones?
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Or is it because of life changes, too, that are
happening at the same time?
I think it's all of the above,because women going through
perimenopause are oftenexperiencing sleep disturbance,
which has a huge impact on brainhealth, hormonal fluctuations,
which has a huge impact on brainhealth.
A lot of times, people who haveADHD type symptoms notice them
first when they're enteringperimenopause, and so that can
feel like distractibility,difficulty with organization,
these types of things, and so Isee a lot of people in our
(14:54):
clinic who are feeling like forthe first time ever, they're not
able to focus, when that wasn'tan issue for them before.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
When they're in perimenopause.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
And what about sleep?
You mentioned sleep.
I have heard anything betweenyou know some people don't need
as much sleep and then somepeople you're supposed to get
eight to nine hours.
I mean, that's just notpossible for a lot of people.
So how does the lack of sleepattribute to brain damage?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Well, interestingly, sleep is a very active process
for our brain.
It's not just that our brainturns off.
Actually, it's cleaning itselfand in fact, it's eliminating
some of those amyloid betaplaques that build up.
What is that we talked about?
Speaker 1 (15:33):
the Apo Pretend I'm a five-year-old.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Sure, we talked about the ApoE4 gene earlier.
When people have two copies ofthe ApoE4 gene, they accumulate
a plaque called amyloid beta intheir brain at a higher rate,
and so during sleep that plaqueis cleared in part.
So maintaining important sleephelps you clear out that junk.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
So that you can keep the health of your brain.
So how many hours are we?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
looking at?
Clear out that junk so that youcan keep the health of your
brain.
So how many hours are welooking at?
Even more important than hoursis quality of sleep.
So I think on average,somewhere between seven or eight
hours is a nice sweet spot formost people.
But a lot of people aresleeping for seven or eight
hours and they're not actuallygetting into deep sleep.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
What are they doing?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
They're scrolling, so I mean the main like tips that
I tell people for sleep is wakeup the same time every day, no
matter what, and get sun on yourface.
Wake up time is even moreimportant than when you go to
bed, why it sets your circadianrhythm for the next 24 hours but
what if it's the weekend and Iwant to sleep in?
You'll pay for it.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
So what if you have a busy schedule and you don't?
Maybe you work different jobsthat's not on the same time.
How do you get into a rhythmlike that?
Speaker 2 (16:46):
So If you ever deviate from the rhythm, the
rule of thumb is however muchsleep you've missed, you need to
overcompensate the next nightby about 50% of the amount of
sleep you missed.
So, for example, if you'retrying to get eight hours a
night, one night you only gettwo.
You're at a deficit of six.
(17:06):
So the next night you want totry to get three extra hours, if
possible.
Now that might not be possibleand you might accumulate that
deficit over time.
Yeah, but it's a question ofwhat am I prioritizing in my
life?
Speaker 1 (17:17):
And eating before sleep lots of sugar.
Even alcohol can disturb yoursleep.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
So a hundred percent.
Yeah, alcohol, especiallyalcohol, disturbs REM sleep,
which is the part of sleep wherereally most of the action's
happening.
So people who drink alcoholmight fall asleep faster, but
they're usually going to noticethat the sleep is more restless
or they're going to wake upearlier than they intended.
So wake-up time's reallyimportant.
The other one is only use thebed for sleep or romantic
(17:43):
activity, that's it.
Wait wait, hold on.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Stephen, you can say sex.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Okay, or sex, sleep or sex.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
That's it, rom, steven, you can say sex Okay, or
sex, sleep or sex.
That's it Got it.
Romantic activity what are you?
80?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
You might have kids watching.
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Okay, wait, and then I have a problem falling asleep.
Is it okay to take melatonin?
Speaker 2 (18:04):
It's okay to take melatonin sometimes, but the
brain is really only producingabout 0.1 milligrams of
melatonin a night.
So when we're takingover-the-counter stuff that's
like 5, 10 milligrams, it'sactually way more than necessary
.
So if you take melatonin, takea low dose, like a milligram or
two, but don't take it too oftenbecause it's a hormone
(18:26):
disruptor and it can affect yourbody's natural way of producing
melatonin.
So instead, magnesium glycinateis a great example.
So magnesium glycinate ishealthy.
You're not going to messanything up taking magnesium
glycinate and for most people,200 to 400 milligrams of that
before bed can be very, veryhelpful.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
What about valerian root?
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Valerian root can be okay too.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Every day.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
I would probably not use it every day.
Okay, yeah, yeah, I think ifyou were to think about a
supplement to use every day forsleep, magnesium glycinate would
be the go-to.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Right before sleep.
Yeah, Because there are so manydifferent magnesiums so you
have to find the right one.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yeah, if you take magnesium citrate before sleep,
you might just-.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
That's for constipation.
Yeah, that is for constipation,but also a good tip.
If you're constipated, look forthat.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
But maybe take it in the morning Right, right, not
before sleep.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
I swear he said that not to start your day off with
eggs.
I don't know why, but of coursethen I think eggs are really
important to people.
Yeah, eggs.
Eggs are important to people.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Eggs are really good.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
But organic eggs obviously.
Yeah, I've heard from otherexperts that eggs are
inflammatory and not great foryou, but that's not the case.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
That's not the case and obviously if you dive into
any specific food, if too muchof that is consumed, it's going
to present some kind of problem.
So this is where it goes backto moderation and being
reasonable with how much we'reeating.
So if someone's eating a dozeneggs every morning, it's
probably not going to be greatfor them, but a couple eggs here
and there, you know.
I think it's totally fine.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
When it comes to not eating before bed.
What if somebody is hungry orthey wake up in the middle of
the night hungry and it helpsthem to eat to go back to sleep?
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Oftentimes the reason that people wake up in the
middle of the night hungry isbecause they've had a lot of
simple carbohydrates for dinner,because usually what happens is
you get a big insulin spike,your sugar drops soon afterwards
and then you've got the hungercue.
So what I recommend to peopleis try to have a lot of protein
and a lot of healthy fat withyour dinner, because that's
going to sustain you for longer.
And if you do have carbscomplex carbs like sweet
(20:30):
potatoes, quinoa, millet, wildrice as examples.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Do you do intermittent fasting?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
I do.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Okay, so that's okay.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Yeah, that's totally okay.
I'm doing something right, I'ma fan of the 16-hour
intermittent fast, six days aweek.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Okay, yeah.
So even if somebody is eatingthe paleo Mediterranean diet,
all the good foods.
So even if somebody is eatingthe paleo Mediterranean diet,
all the good foods, you stillrecommend a vitamin D.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Vitamin D for sure, because it's really really hard
to get vitamin D just from foodalone, and for multivitamins it
sort of depends, right Like, thehealthier we are and the more
balanced of a diet we consume,the less reliant we are on a
multivitamin.
But, that being said, food isnot as nutrient dense as it once
was, and so it probablybehooves us to take a
multivitamin.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Wait, what do you think about caffeine?
Speaker 2 (21:21):
That's a very, very personal subject, because I am
reliant on caffeine to a degree,but we also know that excess
caffeine constricts blood flowto our brain.
So my place that I've landed isI'll have a cup or two of black
coffee each morning and thenthat's my caffeine intake for
the day, and then beyond thatyou don't really want caffeine
(21:43):
after you know two o'clockbecause it's going to make it
very, very hard to fall asleep.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Noted.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Noted.
Then my last question aboutsupplements.
There are supplements that arebrain health, you know, like
that's what they are, like brainoptimizers.
Should I be taking that?
Should people be taking that athome?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I think it depends on what the person is trying to
accomplish and what risk they'retrying to overcome.
So you opened by talking aboutthe ApoE4 gene mutation.
I think for you there are somespecific brain supplements that
would be helpful to take Thingslike Ginkgo, things like
Hooperzine, things likeN-acetylcysteine and you and I
can talk about that offline, butit depends on who the person is
(22:23):
and what they're trying toaccomplish.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Okay, I think this is good.
I now know what to eat, whatnot to eat, how much sleep is.
I have to stop taking melatonin.
I really do take 10 milligramsa night.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
Anything beyond five has been shown in studies to
actually not do much of anything.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I feel like it does a lot, and I watch the Golden
Girls in bed and that's notromantic activity, let me tell
you.
Thank you.
Thank you, dr Storridge,seriously, and I'm glad that
you're in my life because I needall the help I can get.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
I'm happy to help.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
I appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
I feel like I've gotten smarter since you've
known me.
No, no, I think that I'velearned a lot from our
conversation.
I know our viewers have learneda lot, because it's never too
late.
I know you've told me and thereare things that we could do.
So the top three exercise,foods and sleep.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Absolutely and ultimately.
We're not stuck with the brain.
We have no matter what.
No matter what and we've proventhis in our research you can
have someone do a scan of theirbrain at one point and have them
redo that scan six months, 12months later and you can see a
very different looking brain.
So we do have a lot morecontrol than we realized.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
That gives me so much hope.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome, Nice meetingyou no you can't say that we're
friends, oh, okay.
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