August 17, 2023
Food(s) for Thought(s)
By Dale Bredesen, M.D., Chief Science Officer for Apollo Health
What does it take to restore synaptic function? We have 100 billion neurons in our brains, and each has on average nearly 10,000 synaptic connections, so we have nearly one quadrillion synapses in these remarkable brains of ours. We lose synapses, and ultimately the neurons themselves, when we develop Alzheimer’s, and this process occurs for years before a diagnosis. How can we preserve and restore synaptic function, thus improving cognition? Despite many claims that it is “impossible” to do so, we have documented and published repeatedly the reversal of cognitive decline (and were the first to do so). This requires increasing energetics, reducing inflammation (and its causes), clearing toxins, and supporting trophic activity.
The optimal diet would address all of these major mechanisms and thus would:
● Be plant-rich to deliver phytonutrients such as polyphenols, flavonoids, etc.
● Provide key nutrients, including omega-3 (DHA), choline, vitamins D, B12, folate, zinc, and more.
● Be anti-inflammatory.
● Create insulin sensitivity and avoid causing spikes and troughs in serum glucose, as well as avoiding large amounts of energy-reducing fructose (and related hyperuricemia).
● Be mildly ketogenic — which, combined with the insulin sensitivity, creates metabolic flexibility, addressing the energy deficit in patients with cognitive decline.
● Improve cerebral blood flow.
● Support mitochondrial function.
● Enhance detoxification.
● Provide trophic support.
● Support the immune system, optimal lipids, and gut microbiome.
● Avoid the many toxins, toxicants, and suboptimal nutrients associated with food, such as mycotoxins, mercury, arsenic, pesticides, organic pollutants, unhealthy fats, and other deficiencies associated with processed foods.
● Avoid causing leaky gut and over-taxing the kidneys and liver.
We developed the KetoFLEX 12/3 diet to meet all of these requirements (few if any other diets do so), but as you can readily see, it is a very tall order to make this practical — where do you start shopping; how do you know what to avoid, and how do you know what to choose? This is why Julie G, Dr. Aida Lasheen, and the team at N4L have spent many months developing KetoFLEX 12/3 for delivery. Following its recent launch, they’ve continued to refine and enhance, including a new feature that allows all of us to pick our own meals with options including wild-caught seafood, grass-fed beef, sustainable poultry, and lots of non-starchy vegetables from every color of the rainbow grown without chemicals in nutrient-rich soil. Extra pastured eggs and seasonal cruciferous vegetables are included in each kit with optional high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil. For anyone who has not tried KetoFLEX 12/3 since these new features were introduced, you are in for a real treat.
KetoFLEX 12/3 from N4L will help us to reduce the global burden of dementia, one delicious bite at a time. Select the button below to order.