Episode 2216 – On this Friday’s show, Vinnie Tortorich speaks with Dr. Stephen Cunnane and they discuss brain development and fats, taking care of your brain, supplements, and more.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR BRAIN
- Vinnie starts the show by sharing how he heard about Dr. Stephen Cunnane through Dr. Mary Newport, who has been on the show recently. (1:45)
- Dr. Steven Cunnane talks a bit about his book, Survival of the Fattest: The Key to Human Brain Evolution
- The book discusses brain development in babies and the need for healthy fats. (6:00)
- It also discusses how various nutrients play the part in various ways in human evolution.
- The big question Vinnie and Stephen discuss is: are you taking care of your brain? (15:00)
- Or are you letting it rot with what you are eating?
- Vinnie’s interest in the brain comes from taking years of beatings playing football; as a result, he’s curious about CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). (16:00)
- Stephen says it’s never too late to be able to make improvements; the question becomes “what can you do”? (21:25)
- Part of the challenge is the parameters given to doctors that make them hesitant to suggest low-carb.
- Mark Cucazzella is brought up as an example.
- The two discuss the movie “First Do No Harm”, by Jim Abrams of the Charlie Foundation. (25:05)
- Charlie’s doctors wanted to give him a lobotomy for his seizures; instead, they controlled his epilepsy with the ketogenic diet.
- They also discuss Eric Westman, Jeff Volek, Steve Phinney, Tim Noakes, and others and what an important part they play in low-carb science.
- They switch to discuss certain limitations of the current healthcare systems. (29:50)
- Certain low-carb doctors are walking away from standard practice so they can actually practice health care and not sick care.
ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
- Vinnie and Stephen also discuss what zinc and other minerals are optimal for the brain and how they help. (34:10)
- They discuss iodine, zinc, selenium, and certain deficiencies.
- They chat about the best sources of various nutrients.
- More is not always better, and Dr. Cunnane explains why.
- Don’t over-intellectualize it: just eat sensibly.
- The conversation leads to a discussion about omega fatty acids, cholesterol, and ketones, and how the brain needs them. (46:30)
- There is still plenty to learn about cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s; a lot of questions remain! (51:00)
- But there is more to it than diet and diabetes; social interaction, looking forward to things, and exercise seem to play a part as well in keeping a healthy brain.
- Conflicts of interest in science and medicine muddy up the waters of good information. (55:00)
- Dr. Cunnane has been awarded a research chair position at his university; as a result, the research will focus on ketotherapeutics. (1:01:30)
- They’ll be studying ketogenic interventions of all sorts for mental illness, neurodegenerative disorders, and more.
- If you’d like to learn more about this, you can go to https://recherche-cerveau-sherbrooke.ca/en/
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