When I finally picked up the phone with Sanjay Gupta, MD, in March, after he rescheduled three times because he is preparing for CNN’s first COVID-19 city hall, he is relieved to be talking about something positive: brain science. “We are seeing evidence that lifestyle changes can significantly improve brain health and even reverse brain disease,” he says. “This may not sound so significant, except that we never thought of the brain that way until recently. We think of the heart this way and some other organs, but the brain has always been a black box. ”
The 50-year-old man is best known for his work at CNN, but he is also a practicing neurosurgeon at Emory University School of Medicine, removing tumors and cutting out aneurysms inside the black box, often while listening to the Gipsy Kings. In his spare time, he does triathlons (of course) and meditates (duh!), And is working on his fourth book, Stay tuned: build a better brain at any age, scheduled to come out early next year. It is an evidence-based exploration of the latest science on brain health and what tactics are working for Dr. Gupta himself.
Here, he shares his favorite tips and strategies – basically, what to do with your body, your meals and your mental energy – to keep your brain sharp. Here’s how to make it happen:
1) Think of inactivity as a disease
“Every time I’m about to sit down, I ask myself: do I need to sit down now?” Dr. Gupta says. “This can go further in terms of the benefit of movement in your brain than even going to the gym. I don’t have a chair in my office. ”If you can stand or walk during meetings, phone calls and other activities, do so. Think of inactivity as a disease, rather than working out as a cure, he says.
2) Always be prepared to train
Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, decreases inflammation and promotes the growth of new brain cells. You need at least 150 minutes a week. “Wherever I am, I have sneakers, swimsuits and resistance bands,” says Dr. Gupta. He keeps weights in his room and has a pullup bar in his office.
3) Walk, talk, complain
Take a brisk walk with a friend and talk about your problems. It’s a brain bug: moving, socializing and releasing stress. “Doing these three things ends up measurably detoxifying your brain,” says Dr. Gupta. “I used to train very lonely, but hanging out with friends really changed my brain health. I can feel that.”
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4) Eat the right way for better focus
To protect your brain, you need to control your blood sugar. Excess sugar can be toxic, causing the death of neurons and possibly triggering cognitive decline. Dr. Gupta experienced this firsthand when he cut the added sugar from his diet to a 60-minute story and saw his “cognitive day” (how long you can be productive) increase.
He advises using the Global Council on Brain Health framework to prioritize what to eat. Here’s what’s on list A and on lists B and C as well:
List A foods: consume regularly
- Fresh vegetables, especially green leaves
- Whole berries
- Fish and other seafood (but not fried!)
- Healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, avocado, whole eggs
- Nuts and seeds
List B foods: Include these foods in your life
- Beans and other legumes
- Whole fruits (in addition to berries)
- Dairy products with low sugar and fat content, such as plain yogurt and cottage cheese
- Birds
- Whole grains
List C foods: Limit these
- Fried foods
- Cakes, sugary foods
- Processed foods
- Red meat products such as bacon, salami, hot dogs
- Red meats such as beef, lamb, pork
- Whole dairy products with a high saturated fat content, such as cheese and butter
- Salt (use lemon juice, spices or vinegar)
5) Eat real foods, not nutrients or individual supplements
Dr. Gupta avoids most supplements. Real food contains a multitude of components that help beneficial ingredients (such as omega-3 fatty acids) travel through the body or even help to unblock receptors so that these beneficial ingredients can do their job. Doctors call this the “entourage effect” and that is why real foods, like fish, are better than supplements, like fish oil capsules, for brain health.
6) Drink instead of eating
“We often confuse thirst with hunger,” says Dr. Gupta. “Even moderate amounts of dehydration can deplete your energy and your brain rhythm.” After all, your brain is made mostly of water and only 2% dehydration has a measurable impact on memory, processing speed and analytical thinking. Dr. Gupta carries a 60-ounce water bottle with him and plans to finish it every day.
7) Make time for your friends
“I saw social activities and things like indulgence for most of my life,” says Dr. Gupta. No more. Now he prioritizes them: his home is like Grand Central to his friends, his wife’s friends, plus the friends of his three daughters and their parents. “I spend time with people. I find out – what really involves all parts of the brain – and I kind of find my purpose there too, spending time with people, understanding their lives and letting them enter mine. ”Research shows that individuals with large social networks are better protected from cognitive decline related to Alzheimer’s than those with smaller networks.
8) Try the bubble method
Dr. Gupta practices analytical meditation, a technique he learned from the Dalai Lama himself. (Both admit that meditation is difficult.) With your eyes closed, think of a problem you are trying to solve and separate it from everything else by placing it in a large, clear bubble. This helps to isolate the problem from your emotions and solve it logically, he says.
9) For lasting brain health, keep ikigai
Ikigai is a Japanese word that means “your raison d’être”; it is widely used in Okinawa, where dementia rates are low. There is power in forging a sense of purpose, says Dr. Gupta. “By my own trial and error, it is very difficult to sit down one day and ask: What is my purpose?” In researching his new book, he usually found that actions preceded thinking. “It was just an activity, something you were interested in, and through that you find a purpose, whether it be volunteering, coaching, music, writing, art.” He says it gains meaning by helping people, whether it be sharing medical information or treating patients, as well as their family and friends.
A final thought on brain health and Alzheimer’s disease
People often ask me if they should be tested for Alzheimer’s genes. Here’s what I say: first, although about a quarter of Alzheimer’s patients have a strong family history of the disease, 1% or less inherited a gene that causes early onset of Alzheimer’s. These patients may show signs of the disease as early as age 30, and many choose to enter clinical trials to help doctors better understand it. As for late-onset Alzheimer’s, the most common, the APOE4 gene can increase the risk two to 12 times. It is present in about 25% of people. However, it is not deterministic, and experts are divided over whether it is worth taking the test, because their lifestyle and habits influence brain health more than genetics, says Dr. Gupta. If you want to get tested, do it under the guidance of your doctor and a genetic counselor.
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