The Buddha said, “To keep the body in good health is a duty. Otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our minds strong and clear.” And the great poet Lee hunt said, “The groundwork for all happiness is good health.”
If we’re going to talk about optimizing our brain and how food impacts our overall health, these quotes perfectly sum up that journey. However, there are many roadblocks that can get in the way of good health, one of which is Alzheimer’s.
Right now, over 6 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease in North America. By 2050, that number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million people. What’s worse, Alzheimer’s disease not only causes memory loss — 1 in 3 seniors die from Alzheimer’s or dementia in the U.S. It’s a serious condition, and more and more people are at risk every year.
While those with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease are more likely to get it in the future, others with no family history of Alzheimer’s are liable as well. Now more than ever, we need to prioritize brain health — after all, our brains are like any other organ in our body! They grow older and weaker over time.
Now, here’s the good news!
There are certain habits we can form, such as the foods we eat, that can positively impact our brain health and bring down the risk of getting Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia in the future! Thankfully, we have dedicated scientists, physicians, and researchers who are constantly finding ways to optimize our brain health.
My guest today is Dr. Lisa Mosconi, a brain neuroscientist. She’s the founder and director of the Women’s Brain Initiative and associate director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she serves as an associate professor of neuroscience in neurology and radiology. She is also the New York Times best-selling author of Brain Food and her new book, The XX Brain.
In today’s episode, we discuss the differences between men and women’s brains and how they function, what we need in order to optimize our own individual brain health, the foods we should (and shouldn’t!) be eating, the main causes of brain fog, why Alzheimer’s is affecting so many of us, especially women, and most importantly — what we can do about it.
Dr. Lisa does amazing research on brain foods, and her story to understand why there are differences between female brains and male brains is extraordinary. Let’s jump right in and hear about it.
The Differences Between Male and Female Brains
There are varied opinions about the differences, and Dr. Lisa is often asked the “Mars and Venus,” “Barbie and LEGO” type questions. As her background is in biology, she studies the tangible differences that transcend gender constructs.
“The differences are not anatomical. It’s not like men’s brains are lacking some parts that women’s brains have or the other way around. Inefficiencies are more functional and are quite evident from the very moment of conception. This is because we have different DNA. Women have two X chromosomes, and men have an X and Y chromosome. The X chromosome has almost a thousand genes more than the Y chromosome. [This means] from the moment we’re born, women have almost a thousand genes more than men, many of which are really important, not just for reproduction, but for brain function.” – Dr. Lisa Mosconi
All this happens from conception! The sex of the baby means the development produces different hormones — estrogen for women and testosterone for men.
“Women’s brains produce estrogen, and boys’ brains make testosterone. These hormones are really important because they’re not just involved in reproduction and having children, but they’re incredibly important for brain function. It boosts the immune system in the body and the brain for plasticity to stimulate the formation of neurons and synapsis in the brain. It gives you resilience if you are a brain cell, and importantly it’s key for the brain’s energy production.” – Dr. Lisa Mosconi
While each hormone assists with the same functions, they decline at different stages for men and women.
Testosterone declines gradually over time, which is why many men are still fertile in their 70s or 80s think of Mick Jagger, who at age 72 fathered another child! This is not uncommon for men.
However, for women, estrogens start to decline very fast in mid-life during menopause, which is something that impacts the overall functionality of your body as well as your brain.
“That dictates why women’s brains need a different kind of care than men’s. It’s not super different, but there are some nuances that I think are worth focusing on because we have different needs, different strengths, and different risks, and that really is important for health.” – Dr. Lisa Mosconi
This is fascinating! Now I understand what she means about our brains being different based on the nuances of our bodies. Let’s explore how those differences impact us.
How to Optimize our Brains
Most research shows that a healthy diet, solid exercise, routine (and enough) sleep, low stress, stress reduction, and avoiding toxins optimizes both men’s and women’s brains. However, there are things within these categories that are more specifically helpful to men or to women — for example, diet.
“Within a healthy eating pattern, there is some evidence that women really benefit from plant-based diets, perhaps even more so than men do, which is not to say that men should not be eating plant-based or enough veggies and fruit. It’s just that the research points to plant-based nutrients as being especially supportive of women’s brain health, especially starting in mid-life, and that’s for a variety of reasons.” – Dr. Lisa Mosconi
Dr. Lisa Mosconi’s research focuses on trying to find ways to better understand how brain health plays out differently in women than in men. They do this with brain scans and then measure a number of things, including behavior and cognitive performance. Her team has started including diet questionnaires alongside exercise questionnaires and assessments to expand the scope of how this all impacts the brain.
Even intellectual activity, sleep patterns, and stress play a part. Dr. Lisa measures parameters in plasma to quantify these effects. They measure as much as possible without stressing the participants too much, and this led her to discover something interesting.
“It turns out that there’s a strong correlation between antioxidant intake and brain energy levels for women especially. On average, a lot of antioxidants are good for your brain in part because the brain is the most metabolically active organ of the entire body, and it runs on glucose. The brain is wired to run on glucose, and glucose metabolism creates free radicals and oxidative stress.” – Dr. Lisa Mosconi
While oxidation is damaging to the brain, there is some good news about how we can reduce oxidation and ultimately the damage it causes to the brain. In short, we can increase our intake of antioxidants from our diet.
