Tag Archive for: memory

Creatine and the Unasked Question

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If you read the article on creatine posted by the AMA, while as short as a sentence or two, the points were valid. Let me elaborate on a couple of the ones I think are most important.

Creatine Builds More than Muscle

The point they were making is that creatine may be beneficial to build muscle in those over 65, but that’s not all. I checked the study on the relationship between creatine intake and memory in persons 66 to 76; while it’s a meta-analysis and those can be potentially biased in the way studies are chosen for inclusion in the analysis, the data showed that memory was improved compared to a younger population.

The question is why? My personal opinion is that creatine may increase the production of energy in nerve cells in the brain, which can help learning and memory. There’s also the possibility that creatine may help increase the fluid content of brain tissue, thus making the cells work more effectively; we do tend to dehydrate more as we get older.

The second important point was that creatine is safe to use for nearly all of us, provided we don’t have chronic kidney conditions. While there have been a few small studies that have shown that even in people with diabetes-related kidney failure, creatine can be safely used, it’s best to work with a physician/specialist if you’re in that category of kidney disease. They can check creatinine levels to make sure kidney function isn’t being harmed. For the rest of us, using 3 to 5 grams of creatine every day seems to increase the benefits of muscle repair and growth with weight training.

The slight water retention and digestive issues mentioned are minor issues that typically resolve themselves when compared to the benefits creatine may generate. Just remind yourself that if your brain is retaining a little water, that’s a good thing!

The Unasked Question

What’s the question no one ever asks in nutrition studies? “How did you feel while you were taking the supplement?” Feelings can vary depending on the supplement: more energy, better sleep, fewer digestive issues, and on and on. I’m not talking about filling out questionnaires or taking tests. We’re all grown up enough to know that you may feel a little worse at first, but it usually goes away with time, so don’t get in a hurry to give up on creatine.

Simply, “How did you feel?” At the end of the day, that’s what’s really important to the person taking the supplement. Too often, because there are no real “hard science” tests for how a person feels, it’s not asked. We simply don’t know everything about how every food, every supplement, and every pharmaceutical impacts every tissue in every organ in the body. Sometimes, it’s just about how you feel day in, day out.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/9-things-patients-should-know-about-taking-creatine
2. Nutr Rev. 2023 Mar 10;81(4):416-427. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac064.

Brain Boon, Not Brainrot

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Maybe you’ve been hearing about brainrot; if you have a kid in the house, the odds go way up. My point in mentioning this is to suggest that peanuts don’t contribute to brainrot, but may be a brain boon as I talked about on Tuesday. The question was why?

Nutrients May Hold the Key

Peanuts, as well as other nuts, are high in the amino acid l-arginine. Nitric oxide (NO) increases dilation in blood vessels which help blood flow everywhere but especially to the heart and the brain. We usually associate nitrates from vegetables with that process, but there’s another pathway which uses arginine to increase NO levels as well. That could explain the increases in blood flow to the areas of the brain. The increase in NO could also partially explain the reduction in systolic blood pressure.

In addition, the fiber in peanuts, the antioxidant properties found in the peanut skin phytonutrients, and replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats may also have an impact on blood flow. The peanut skins contain resveratrol, a phytonutrient that has shown promise in reducing cardiovascular disease in general.

Carbohydrate intake increased while fat decreased during the eating-peanuts phase of the study. One of the key findings was that the unsaturated fats in the nuts replaced some of the saturated fats in the diet. Overall, the peanuts were beneficial.

Limitations with Hope

This was a small study with essentially healthy older adults; how that might work for people with disease must still be tested. The cost of the methodology using special MRI analytics limited how many subjects would be realistic to study, but there were at least some benefits in every category they tested. This shows that modifying the diet in just one area may be a step toward improving your health. There’s no reason not to try eating peanuts (unsalted or lightly salted is preferable) to see how it impacts us personally.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2025.10.020

Peanuts as Health Food!

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I’m Chet and I’m a salt-a-holic—specifically, nuts and especially peanuts—so when I caught a headline about peanuts in my research feed, I had to check it out. The title of the paper included the words “skin-roasted peanut consumption” so whatever the study was about, I was in. We hear a lot about peanut allergies, but today let’s look at potential health benefits.

Researchers in the Netherlands wanted to find out whether peanut consumption would have the same mpact on blood flow to the brain and improve memory as prior research had shown with other nuts. The 31 subjects, average age 67, served as their own controls. They ate 60 grams of unsalted skin-roasted peanuts (about a half cup) every day for 16 weeks, took 8 weeks off to washout any short-term benefits, and then ate no nuts for another 16 weeks.

The technology used in this study was astounding, from measuring blood flow to different areas of the brain using two different methods, food frequency questionnaires, cognitive tests, and even tests of strength. When all was said and done, there was about a 3.6% and 4.5% increase in blood flow to two regions of the brain, a 5 point drop in systolic blood pressure, and an improvement in cognitive testing.

The question is why? Why would eating roughly 340 calories of peanuts a day increase blood flow to the brain? We’ll cover that on Saturday.

In this current state of uncertain healthcare coverage, you need a personal advocate to help you make the right choices for your health. Tomorrow is the final Insiders Conference call for the year. We’re going to cover a variety of topics as well as answer Insider questions. Become an Insider by 8 p.m. tomorrow night, and you can take part.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2025.10.020

Lithium: It’s The Amount That Matters

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I received a question from a long-time reader the other day. They asked, “What is the difference between lithium orotate and the lithium in batteries?” The short answer is simply that they are the same metal. Given the history of lithium batteries and their tendency to overheat and sometimes explode, I’ll go into a little more detail.

Lithium is the lightest metal on the Periodic Table. It is a soft, lustrous metal and, while it is found in quantity in mines, it is everywhere. As an element, it can be toxic. What makes it less so is that it can naturally bind to so many other elements. Depending on what it binds to, that can determine whether it’s safe to use.

Lithium orotate is an organic salt and far supersedes the efficacy of other organic salts and inorganic salts such as lithium carbonate. In batteries, the value of lithium is its ability to freely give up ions that can result in the production of energy, but there’s about 38.4 mcg of elemental lithium contained in 1 mg of lithium orotate. That’s at least 1,000 times less than found in a single AA lithium battery and without the toxic solvents necessary to make the battery work.

Another reader asked about the highest sources of lithium in the food supply. That’s something I would have included, but it all depends on the water supply and whether the soil has lithium in it. For now, there is no way to provide a list. Eat them all!

I hope that clarifies things. On Friday: why the way Riley eats pasta might just be best for gut health.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Lithium: A Hopeful Discovery

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You may recognize lithium as a treatment for some mental health issues such as bipolar disorder. That would require a pharmacological dose of 600–1,800 mg of lithium per day; levels that high can create severe side effects. But prior research showed that people who were treated with lithium had lower rates or delayed onset of cognitive impairment. The next step in the study was what form of lithium and what amount could help reverse the cognitive impairment and potentially be used to prevent mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

Forms of Lithium

Researchers examined a variety of organic and inorganic salts to find the form which prevented or reduced the sequestration of lithium in amyloid plaque. Lithium carbonate, the inorganic salt form most used in pharmacological doses, did not prevent the pathology in low-dose supplemental form. An organic form called lithium orotate was successful in amounts consistent with dietary intake. Over a period of weeks, the mice drinking lithium orotate in their water reversed the cognitive impairment and other negative effects.

What’s Next?

The first thing you may be thinking is, “I gotta get me some of that!” Slow down. Remember, these were tested in mice—there are no human trials yet. While there are tests for assessing lithium levels, they’re generally reserved for patients with mental disorders. With such a small range found within the blood, testing requires medical interpretation, and we don’t really know what that level may be in someone with mild cognitive impairment.

Before this becomes a supplement you want to take, a couple of good human trials should be done to determine the proper dosage and any potential side effects. Tremors and nausea are routine side effects when lithium is used to treat mental conditions, but at normal food and water intake levels—1 to 3 mg per day—there should be none. There are many lithium orotate products in the marketplace that range from 1 to 5 mg, but let’s not get ahead of the science.

The Bottom Line

I think there are still questions to be answered before we all start supplementing with lithium orotate. While there is no RDA for lithium, there is a provisional target of 1 mg per day from diet. However, because the amount of lithium in water and food can be so variable, taking 1 to 5 mg per day of lithium orotate seems like a reasonable thing to do if you are over 50 years and are starting to experience memory issues beyond the normal where-are-my-keys problems.

It will take a while before we have the results of human trials. It would also help if you eat better, drink water, and get some exercise; those also help reduce the development of amyloid plaque. When I know more, so will you.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09335-x

Lithium and Brain Health

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The health field has been buzzing about a study that was recently published related to Alzheimer’s disease markers and the mineral lithium, a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Got lithium? You can use it in batteries, nuclear reactions, and many other industries; it’s also used in medications to stabilize mood.

Researchers decided to find out the relationship between markers for Alzheimer’s such as types of amyloid structures in the brain. There have been associations with reduced lithium intake and mild cognitive impairment in prior studies, so researchers decided to examine how mice on a reduced-lithium diet would respond. They measured several other minerals as well, but the only one associated with an increase in amyloid structures was lithium. It seems that when there’s not enough lithium in the diet, the brain cannot function as normal and sequesters the lithium in the amyloid bodies; brain function decreases further as lithium levels drop, including cognitive impairment.

The normal amount of lithium found in the diet suggests we get 0.6 to 3 mg per day, mostly from water and food. That amount is able to sustain the 7 mg typically found in an adult human. The next question would be how much it would take to reverse cognitive impairment. I’ll cover that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09335-x

Shield Your Brain!

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For everyone who has purchased Protecting Your Brain, the first update will be on the way soon. As I stated in the webinar, when there is something important related to your brain I’ll send up an update, and a recent study is worth a follow up: researchers demonstrated that the microbiome in your mouth is beneficial to reducing the risk of mild cognitive impairment.

For the rest of you, don’t miss an opportunity to literally protect your brain and to help retain your memories and skills as well as the ability to learn new skills regardless of age. Isn’t that what’s it all about? Protecting Your Brain is my webinar that provides you with state-of-the-research ways to be able to do that. This webinar will teach you how brains get damaged, what’s normal and what’s not, and which activities, foods, and supplements will help protect it.

This webinar is available for download in my store right now for only $14.95 (Member and Insider discounts apply; be sure to log in first). You’ll learn how to protect your brain whether you’re 25 or 75.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

How Can You Safeguard Your Brainpower?

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If there’s one thing we all would like, it would be to retain as many of our memories as we can as well as all of the things we’ve learned over our lifetime. We’d also like the ability to learn new things, like how to make a doll house for our granddaughter or how to bake our favorite dessert. In order to do that, we have to do whatever we can to keep our brain functioning properly.

Protecting Your Brain is my webinar that provides you with state-of-the-research ways to be able to do that. This webinar will teach you:

  • The factors that can impact and damage your brain
  • What is normal brain function and what is not
  • What can you do to protect your brain in spite of prior damage?
    • Continual Learning
    • Fitness – functional and body health
    • The best diet to protect your brain
    • Supplementation that supports the brain

This webinar is available for download in my store right now, and includes the questions about brain health I asked for weeks ago with answers based on the most current research.

The cost of the webinar is just $14.95 (Member and Insider discounts apply), but it contains priceless things you can do to protect your brain whether you’re 25 or 75. This webinar is for you. Don’t wait to get your copy. Do it now—you might forget it later!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Flavanols: The Real Brain Food

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As I suggested in the last memo, the researchers did not prove their hypothesis that there would be an increase in measures of memory in all participants of the clinical trial. While disappointing, the secondary hypothesis might have been even more important because it was statistically significant.

They found that those with the lowest intake of flavanols from foods and drinks had the most improvement in measures of memory function. Makes sense: people who did not eat enough fruits and other foods containing flavanols saw benefits by supplementing with a specific amount of flavanols every day.

Researchers didn’t test to see if eating little to no foods containing flavanol resulted in a decline in memory function; that would fall into the category of “first do no harm.” Understanding that flavanols are beneficial for more than just memory, it would not be responsible to have a person decrease intake of them.

They also did not find additional benefits of taking the supplement for those with the highest intake of flavanols from their diet. That means that a great diet has great benefits.

There are three points we can take from this study:

  • Regular intake of flavanols from supplements can compensate for weaknesses in the diet.
  • Eating flavanol-containing foods provides a wide variety of flavonoids including anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavanones, flavones, and isoflavones. In my opinion, eating and drinking plant-based substances is a better approach; using additional flavonoids from supplements is a great insurance policy.
  • The memory tests used in the study focused on one area of the brain: the hippocampal area. Supplementation did not appear to impact the prefrontal cortex component of cognitive aging.

If we want to age with a vengeance, I think we should look at it as though every little bit helps. I also think that the earlier we begin developing the habit of eating more fruits and vegetables, plus drinking teas, coffee, and cocoa drinks, the better our brains will be. And as a bonus, the rest of our body gets to enjoy the benefits as well.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: PNAS May 2023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216932120h

What’s Brain Food?

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If I ask what you think a good brain food would be, what would you answer? I think for most people, it would probably be fish, especially cold-water fish such as tuna and salmon. I don’t think we can discount how important omega-3 fatty acids are to the function of our bodies, especially our nervous system. But based on recent research, I don’t think we have to get quite as exotic as cold-water fish. I think we can find what we need in the produce section or at farmers markets. I’m talking about the phytonutrient class called flavanols.

Researchers recruited over 7,500 people—men over 60 and women over 65—as potential subjects. After meeting the criteria established for inclusion in this clinical trial, researchers ended up with just over 3,500 subjects. To test the theory that flavanols would improve memory, researchers used three different online memory tests. They used a form of the Healthy Eating Index to evaluate dietary intake of flavanols. They also used a test for the urinary excretion of flavanol by-products to confirm the amount of flavanols in the diet.

Half the subjects got a flavanol extract from cacao that contained at least 500 mg of cacao flavanols, including 80 mg of epicatechin; the remainder of the subjects received the placebo. Subjects were tested before the study began and then at the end of one, two, and three years.

The primary goal was not met; not all subjects saw an improvement in memory after the first year. The secondary goal was met, and it may prove to be even more important. I’ll finish this review on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference:   PNAS May 2023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216932120