← Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark
Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark
Prevent Alzheimer’s & Dementia Before It Starts | Max Lugavere
01:14:55
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- [00:00]
A
What should people in their 20s and 30s be doing to protect their brains?
- [00:03]
B
The chronic use of allergy drugs have been strongly associated in cohort studies with increased risk for dementia. There's actually an inverse correlation between the size of your waist and total brain volume. So as your waist expands, it seems that your brain shrinks. For every 10% increase in ultra processed foods consumed, we see a 25% increased risk of the diagnosis of dementia. Chronic exposure to air pollution is a modifiable risk factor. Mouthwash might have downstream consequences on the brain when used chronically and specific kinds of mouthwash like antiseptic mouthwash because they can boost blood pressure.
- [00:59]
A
Do not make the mistake of skipping this episode because you think you're too young to care or worry about dementia. The building blocks of these brain diseases like Alzheimer's or dementia are created now and our parents are getting close in age to where we need to worry about them. Alzheimer's is exploding. We're nowhere near a cure. Or are we? The biggest bombshell from this episode, dementia and Alzheimer's are lifestyle diseases. Today's guest is Max Lugavere, New York Times best selling author, host of the top ranked wellness podcast the Genius Life and one of the most outspoken voices calling out broken brain science. After watching his own mother battle dementia, Max went deep into the research and what he found challenges everything we've been told about aging, memory loss and inevitable brain decline. We're exposing nicotine in this episode, modern bread, mouthwash, eggs which are good and which may be questionable. You'll have to listen to find out. There are so many jaw dropping studies out there on lifestyle which Max will discuss and yet Big Pharma keeps striking out when it comes to brain health and disease. Watch this episod it on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel or Culture Apothecary on Spotify. Please leave a five star review for the show as we bring experts on to educate you for free. Don't forget that our mission is to heal a sick culture physically, emotionally and spiritually. Please welcome Max Lugav into our culture. Apothecary. I've wanted to have you on this show for so long, Max, because you were really interesting to me for so many different angles. I would say personally one of the biggest, especially because you know I'm openly conservative, this show is technically produced by Turning Point USA is that you are living in Los Angeles, you're in the health and wellness space, you have been an OG in the health and wellness space and you're openly pro Trump. So I just want to hear all about that and literally how you are still doing what you're doing.
- [02:47]
B
Well, I look, to be fair, I'm, I go to where I feel in the moment is the most aligned with my values which are ultimately to reduce suffering en masse in the world. And like, you know, not everybody is going to have the same vision in terms of what it's going to take to reduce suffering. But I really believe that both sides of the aisle ultimately want that. Conservatives typically want it more for their local communities and, and liberals tend to want it more for the world. The world, yeah. And, and, and people, you know, outside of their, their, their direct purview. But ultimately I do think that they want the same thing. They just have different ideas of how to achieve those goals. I've been a Democratic voter my entire life. I voted for Obama, I voted for Hillary the first go around. But the way that I saw things kind of unfold during COVID and ultimately with a lot of the larger sort of socio cultural issues around language and the seemingly disintegrating ability to wrap anything in a definition, gender, whatnot, to me it just felt like we needed a bit of a cultural reset, like a vibe check and, and you know, the way that society works, I find the pendulum always tends to SW too far in, in any direction. Like there's society always has this tendency to overcorrect. But in the moment, for the last election and, and also notably with the alignment of RFK Jr. Who, you know, I thought he was operating from a very high integrity place and ultimately, you know, I'm, I'm very pleased with the dietary guidelines, which I know we're going to talk about, led to the decision to support Trump, to endorse Trump, and it wasn't even necessarily a vote for him per se, but a rebuke of the way that I saw things, you know, had been heading during the prior four years, the gaslighting with regards to, you know, our previous president's cognitive health, a myriad of other issues. So yeah, so I supported Trump and that doesn't mean that I will forever be a Republican voter, but, but yeah, I tend to follow my heart and I try to remain independent.
- [04:49]
A
Are you Gen X or millennial?
- [04:50]
B
I'm millennial, yeah.
- [04:51]
A
Okay. Are you like on the cusp?
- [04:53]
B
I'm like an older millennial born in 82, so I'm 43 you3 are close.
- [04:56]
A
To Gen X, I was going to say thinking that because your point of view on that aligns more, I think, with Gen X than even millennials.
- [05:06]
B
I'M very not Gen X, though. There's a big, there's a big differentiator, and that is that I grew up as a digital native, so I'm, like, fully chronically online and like, yeah, my brain is, like, wired into the. I'm definitely not Gen X. Millennials are now actually in their 40s, so it's, it's a very interesting time. You know, I talk on my show. You know, we've had a, we've done a number of podcasts recently, actually, about the concept of Milena Pawlen. Women are, are entering the perimenopause arena.
- [05:34]
A
Oh, don't freak me out.
- [05:35]
B
No, it's, it's, it's kind of crazy that we're all, like, entering this sort of, you know, time, this, this point in our lives. But, but no, very much Millennial.
- [05:43]
A
You haven't, though. It's not just supporting Trump with rfk because you have been very courageous. And it is courageous. It's. It's insane to say this, but it is courageous because you have posted things like about, you know, not agreeing with men and women's sports. I mean, these are some of the most offensive things possible that you could say to more groups, group think mindset, especially in Los Angeles. And so what has been the feedback with your audience and then just people in the health and wellness space there when you have been outspoken about these things?
- [06:14]
B
I live in LA because I like la, but there's a lot that I can find to complain about la. I don't like the way the state of California is run. You know, my taxes are like, through the roof and we can't even sync up street lights in Los Angeles. It's crazy. And then, of course, the fires and how that was so poorly managed. Yeah, I mean, I definitely get some pushback, but I, I think that you have to speak your mind, especially when given a platform, when being blessed with a platform, as I have been over the years, due to hard work and due to, obviously, all of the elbow grease that I've put into my job, my vocation. But, yeah, no, I get pushback all the time. People will say, stay in your lane, but ultimately my purpose here is not necessarily to talk exclusively about nutrition. I seek to reduce suffering in the world, and there is no one size fits all solution to it. The same way that there's no one size fits all supplement regimen or way of eating going to work for every single person. Like, you know, you can't appease everybody.
- [07:11]
A
Right.
- [07:11]
B
But nonetheless, I feel a sense of responsibility to Speak out when I see injustice in the world. And, and for that reason, I try not to align with any one particular party. Like, I try not to take sides. I just try to be honest, as honest as I can.
- [07:24]
A
Have you ever been censored or uninvited to anything in the health and wellness space because you've been outspokenly pro Trump?
- [07:31]
B
I've maybe lost some acquaintances over the past couple of years, certainly, and I've definitely lost some followers. Like when I endorsed voting for Trump in the last election, I lost about 40,000 followers on Instagram. Yeah, I went from 1.2 million followers to 1.1. First of all, we live in a, like, democratic society, so nobody should penalize anybody for having a vote. And, and like, having a perspective, I find it to be really offensive also as a, as a Jewish person. Like, the rhetoric particularly that had reached seemingly a fevered pitch during the election that, you know, pointed at anybody who would vote for Trump as a, as being pro fascist or even Nazi. Like, I'm Jewish. Like, there's no Nazism occurring in this country. It's like actually quite anti Semitic to, to compare, you know, anything occurring in the United States to what was happening in Nazi Germany in the 40s. Like, it's just insane.
- [08:25]
A
And we're seeing that now too, with the, the ICE arrests and all that. They're saying that it's the Holocaust.
- [08:30]
B
Well, also, like, I voted for, you know, Obama and Obama deported lots of.
- [08:34]
A
I mean, he gave Tom Holman a gold medal for his deportations. They don't talk about that.
- [08:39]
B
It's not necessarily even about what's going on, but who is, who's in charge, of course. And, and yeah, and I just find that to be kind of like, not right, you know, I don't know. Like, I don't have a better way of saying I don't. I find it to be not right. The same way that I don't like rhetoric, you know, surrounding like, red meat and the continual fear mongering of red meat, which now with the, you know, the, the new dietary guidelines, I think a lot of that hopefully is behind us. But, but yeah, I don't like rhetoric. I don't like misinformation, which has become sort of a heated word, because misinformation is now used to represent information that I don't like. But they're actually, you know, there is misinformation out there, and I think it's like, really, it can do harm. And so my, what I think my purpose is is kind of like Fighting against that, primarily in the field of nutrition.
- [09:25]
A
Well, if anyone listening, which I find it hard to believe, if anyone doesn't already know who Max Lugaver is, because you're huge. But you and Dr. Will Cole, I think, have incredibly courageous. You guys are brushing shoulders with so many celebrities and huge names, and you haven't let that discourage you at all from being outspoken about your beliefs. And so I just think that should be applauded and celebrated, and we like to do that on this show.
- [09:47]
B
So thank you.
- [09:48]
A
I think more people should consider that the guy who knows so much about brain health is not a liberal. I think that is probably important.
- [09:56]
B
Yeah. Not anymore. Not anymore. I would not consider myself a 2026 liberal. Definitely not. But I used to describe myself as that. I grew up in New York City. I went to high school in Chelsea. I've had, you know, my whole life, like, really believe that love is love, whether you're, you know, like two men who love each other. Like, I just like, to me, like, I think adults should be able to do what adults want to do, like, with informed consent, leave children out of it. Like, adults can decide to do what they want. Right. But it's where the social contagion aspect of things, like, your rights end where mine begin. So, like, you're telling me how to live my life and that, you know, suddenly I have to be okay with biological men playing in women's sports. Like, you know, there's like this ideological capture that, you know, that some people want to see become more ubiquitous. And. And like, I think that we needed to pump the brakes on that, and that's what we did.
- [10:52]
A
Is dementia a brain disease or is it a whole body disease that shows up in the brain last?
- [10:57]
B
Dementia may be a whole body disease. The brain sits directly downwind of processes in the body, like inflammation, like insulin resistance. And it can become ways victim of a body in distress. And so that's why, you know, my work has really been focusing on encouraging optimal physical health below the neck, because the brain is rewarded by a body that's metabolically healthy, a body that doesn't have excessive visceral fat, a body that is acutely insulin sensitive. And so, you know what that implies that there are ways that we can eat and there are ways that we can act, behaviors that we can adopt that directly support brain health. And when I first got started in this field, you couldn't mention dementia and prevention in the same sentence.
- [11:41]
A
Why?
- [11:41]
B
It just wasn't considered something that was possible. Like, dementia was something that was considered a natural part of aging or something that was largely hereditary. But now we know that there are a significant proportion of cases of dementia, if not the majority of cases of conditions like Alzheimer's disease that are potentially preventable. And the way to prevent these conditions is by making sure that we are reducing our risk factors. And the risk factors in particular that we want to focus on are what are called modifiable risk factors, which is very empowering. The term modifiable implies that we can modify our risk. Many of the modifiable risk factors for dementia are responsive to nutrition, which is sort of my wheelhouse. I'm a big nutrition nerd when it comes to brain health. You want to make sure that you're not obese in midlife. You want to make sure that you are not a type 2 diabetic. If you're a type 2 diabetic, your risk increases between two and four fold for being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. And many people in this country suffer from insulin resistance from type 2 diabetes, pre diabetes. You want to make sure that you don't have hypertension, which is high blood pressure. It's one of the most powerful modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and, and dementia, vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. I think that people tend to have this sense of fatalism about their brain health, like if their parents or their grandparents had dementia, that it's something that's going to be in their destiny. But ultimately, whether or not you have genetic risk factors for dementia, you can modify your risk.
- [13:11]
A
And I think same with cancer. Yeah, same with a lot of these things.
- [13:15]
B
Yeah. And we don't, we don't have all the answers. I mean, when I wrote my first book, Genius Foods, which came out in 2018, 90% of what we had known about Alzheimer's disease had been discovered only in the prior 15 or so years. I mean, it's a rapidly evolving field of science. And again, like when I first started, it wasn't considered a condition that you could prevent. And now we have all this data to the degree that like our most prestigious peer reviewed medical journals like the Lancet, have now, are now coming out every couple of years, every four years, with new guidelines on how to, you know, how to reduce risk. So just, you know, just to use the Lancet, you know, to illustrate, in 2024, they put out the, the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, which posited that 45% of dementia cases are attributable to these modifiable risk factors. Which basically means in, in other words, that per percent of cases are preventable based on these modifiable risk factors. But it's a very conservative estimate. What the paper didn't acknowledge was the role of nutrient deficiencies in, you know, in, in cognitive decline in dementia didn't include the, you know, overexposure to environmental toxins, particularly certain types of over the counter drugs like anticholinergic drugs, like sleep drugs, antihistamine drugs, allergy drugs. The chronic use of allergy drugs have been strongly associated in cohort studies with increased risk for dementia.
- [14:37]
A
Have you heard anything about continued use of Ambien?
- [14:40]
B
Benzos are strongly linked. Chronic use of benzos, Ambien, I'm not, I haven't seen any strong data on Ambien. But like, benzos are definitely linked because they're anticholinergic drugs. So they basically block a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which is really important for learning and memory. And there might be downstream other mechanistic ways in which these drugs seem to increase risk. But what we do know is that the chronic use of these drugs is, yeah, strongly associated.
- [15:05]
A
So speaking of the, the research and the science all behind Alzheimer's, you said that this amyloid theory is totally garbage. So is the entire field chasing the wrong target?
- [15:17]
B
It has been, arguably. Yeah, there is.
- [15:19]
A
What is it?
- [15:19]
B
Yeah, so amyloid is a, it's a protein that we all produce in our brains. It comes from amyloid precursor protein. We all produce it. It's a natural part of our, you know, biology. In fact, research out of Harvard suggests that we might produce it as a response to inflammatory insult and potentially as a way to prevent infection in the brain. They've shown in petri dishes that amyloid beta aggregates around the herpes virus. So it's this compound that we all produce in our brains. But the problem is when it becomes pathologic, when it basically becomes insoluble and forms these plaques called amyloid beta plaques, which is one of the defining features of the Alzheimer's brain. The question is, is amyloid causal with regards to Alzheimer's disease? And the prevailing hypothesis over the past couple of decades was that it was. But a slew of new drugs which have, you know, come on the market and not without controversy, have actually succeeded at reducing amyloid in the brain. But what they don't do is cure the condition, they don't meaningfully improve cognitive function. And so there's a, there's been a growing chorus of voices in the field of neurology that have been suggesting all along that amyloid is there at the scene of the crime, but it's not causal with regards to the condition, that it's a lagging feature of the pathophysiology of the condition, that there are other factors, there are other, you know, whether it's risk factors, other mechanisms that are driving cognitive decline and ultimately Alzheimer's disease and amyloid basically just shows up late. And so one of the prevailing hypotheses as to what causes Alzheimer's disease is, actually has nothing to do with amyloid, but it's a reduced ability for the brain to create energy and this is known as hypometabolism. So basically like a, a reduced ability of the brain's metabolic processes that create energy. The brain is a very metabolically hungry organ. It's responsible for 25 of your basal metabolic rate, despite making up only 2 to 3% of your body's mass. So it's a massively energy hungry organ. In the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, the ability to, to generate ATP from glucose is diminished by 50%. And this begins long before the presence of, of amyloid. And on top of that, I mean, again, all brains produce amyloid. There doesn't seem to be a strong correlation between amyloid presence in the brain and cognitive function. So, you know, back in the day when Alzheimer's disease was first named in 1906 by physician Alois Alzheimer, we had, the tools of medicine were very rudimentary. The only way to like actually diagnose Alzheimer's disease would be to open up the brain of a person who had died. The cadaver, the brain of a cadaver, somebody who died of Alzheimer's disease. And you would see like plaque on teeth, you know, plaques in the brains of these. Yeah. Of, of patients who had died from the condition. And that would be the gold standard way of diagnosing officially the cause of death being Alzheimer's disease. But now we have, you know, I mean, now we can get way ahead of that with imaging, with functional imaging and, and even metabolic indicators and blood biomarkers. Like we're now starting to, you know, correlate levels of amyloid in the blood to amyloid in the brain. So it's there, it's definitely involved and especially late in the game in, in Alzheimer's disease. I mean, it does start to build and strangle neurons essentially because it, it builds up in the space around neurons and neurons are, you know, I mean, they're brain cells that are like, how are, you know, the, they make up the networks of, you know, cellular machinery that are responsible for our thinking and feeling. And like, everything that it makes means to be human. Right. But what's actually causing it to aggregate in the brain? That is the looming question. And so, yeah, I think that the way that the field is turning, it's no longer looking at amyloid as being causal. We're trying to get ahead of that, and I think we're succeeding in many ways. I mean, it could have something to do with insulin sensitivity in the body. We know that insulin resistance in the body is strongly inversely correlated to glucose metabolism in the brain. So you want to make sure that you're insulin sensitive. You want to, as I mentioned, you want to not be a type 2 diabetic. We know clearly that there's a vascular component to Alzheimer's disease. So you want to make sure that you don't have hypertension. That's very important. You don't want to be obese. Obesity increases your risk for hypertension. It also increases your risk for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. So you don't want to be obese. There's actually an inverse correlation between the size of your waist and total brain volume. So as your waist expands, it seems that brain shrinks. Ooh. The direction of causality isn't there. It's just a. It's just a correlation. But nonetheless, visceral fat, you know, is strongly linked to insulin resistance and inflammation. And the brain sits directly downwind of insulin resistance and inflammation, unfortunately.
- [20:01]
A
All right, let's talk about the girls who can't decide what they want to eat, drink, or do with their lives. You know, the ones you might be one. They'll stare at a menu for 45 minutes and still order a salad. That's. That's basically how I feel sometimes, trying to get healthy. There's powders, potions, smoothies, protein sticks. It's overwhelming. Enter the Taylor Duke's wellness starter pack bundle. You try it before you commit. It's a little sampler platter for your health routine. 13 single serve sticks of their best selling protein powders, electrolytes and beautifying drinks. Vanilla cookies and cream, mint chocolate chips, cinnamon roll. You get the picture. Toss a strawberries and cream protein powder into your smoothie. Grab an electrolyte stick on the go. You will figure out what you love. You'll taste it all, and then you'll figure out what to commit to. There's no giant tubs collecting dust in your pantry because you ordered a huge thing that you don't like. Everything is clean. Everything is functional, medicine approved and honestly tastes amazing. I use that strawberries and cream protein powder every single morning in my smoothie. It is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. So if you've been wanting to try Taylor Duke's Wellness but don't know where to start, this is it. Go to Taylor DukesWellness.com use code Alex Clark for a little discount. That's Taylor Swellness.com code Alex Clark. If you have sensitive skin, you know the struggle. You try a new foundation or concealer and suddenly your face is red, itchy or breaking out. You're left wondering what ingredient just betrayed you. A lot of conventional makeup is packed with chemicals that sensitive skin cannot tolerate. That's why Adele Natural Cosmetics has become such a game changer for so many people in this audience with reactive skin. Their products are made with clean, thoughtfully sourced ingredients that nourish instead of irritate. The moisturizing foundation is especially loved because it really does feel so lightweight, breathable and calming while still giving real coverage. I mean, I'm on camera almost every day of my life and it is phenomenal. They're a family owned company founded after the creator experienced her own health journey and realized how harmful calming cosmetic ingredients can be. Every product is handcrafted with care, integrity and purpose. And if dryness makes sensitivity worse, especially in winter, their aloe vera sprays, essential moisturize and body oil are incredible for keeping skin hydrated and comfortable without heaviness. If makeup feels like a gamble for your skin, usually try something gentler. Use code Alex for 25 off your first order at Adele Natural Cosmetics.com that's code Alex 25% off your first order at Adele natural cosmetics.com why do pharmaceutical companies keep failing at Alzheimer's?
- [22:21]
B
Because I think they're looking for the cure in the wrong place. They're, they're trying to treat a condition that begins in the brain decades prior to the onset of symptoms. And their target of approach is reducing amyloid in the brain. And amyloid appears late, as we mentioned. So you know, by the time a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, glucose metabolism is already diminished by 50%. So your brain is already desperately struggling to create energy by the time you receive that diagnosis. And the buildup of amyloid plaque and these tau tangles, you know, the, the hallmark neuropathological phenomena that is that, that is defining of the condition is already there in stark, you know, to, to a stark degree there's, there's already typically widespread neuronal death and so the idea that you can just take like a monotherapy, like one of these drugs or injections and, you know, reverse the course of the disease that late in the game, it's just very unrealistic, you know, so we have to get ahead of it. That's why the, the holy grail of dementia prevention is early diagnostic is like really pinpointing with 100% accuracy who is most at risk for developing this condition and intervening as early as possible are.
- [23:35]
A
Processed carbs secretly one of the biggest drivers of dementia.
- [23:39]
B
Processed carbs are definitely involved. It's not the carbohydrates per se, but it's the processing of our food.
- [23:45]
A
So what does that mean? What is a processed carb?
- [23:48]
B
So, like refined grains, added sugars and things like that? There's no universe in which refined grains and added sugars are good for the brain.
- [23:54]
A
So like a fast food hamburger bun would be a processed carb. Yeah, you don't ever want to eat that.
- [23:59]
B
You generally want to stay clear of processed, you know, refined carbohydrates and added sugar with the asterisk that the dose makes the poison, you know, so if you eat a processed hamburger bun every now and then, like, it's probably not going to kill you. But, you know, back when I got started in this field, we had yet to really have strong observational data linking ultra processed food intake to dementia risk. And now we have that data. For every 10% increase in ultra processed foods consumed, we see a 25% increased risk of the diagnosis of dementia. And processed foods, you know, processed foods, not exclusively carbohydrate based. I mean, there's processed fats, there's industrial oils added to our food supply now. But the more processed your diet, the stronger your risk seems to be for one day being diagnosed with dementia. So you want to, you want to stick to minimally processed foods as much as pos as possible.
- [24:50]
A
You say that sugar and refined carbs are sticky and destructive inside the brain. How seriously bad is modern bread?
- [24:57]
B
Modern bread is an ultra, typically an ultra processed food. Modern bread is loaded with refined grains, added sugars, industrial, industrial oils, and it is a, it is far removed from unadulterated whole grains. Observational data links the consumption of whole grains to better, you know, health outcomes. But most people today, when it comes to bread, commercial breads, are, you know, consuming largely ultra processed foods.
- [25:23]
A
But you have something against people who eat whole grain bread, don't you, Max?
- [25:28]
B
If you're eating truly whole, whole grain bread, I think that, you know, you're probably going to be fine. But most bread today is not, not truly whole grain. Yeah, even breads that are marketed as whole grain are like pulverized, like, you know, extruded grains that have the bran removed, have synthetic vitamins added after the fact, and are essentially ultra processed foods.
- [25:48]
A
Is leaky gut the real secret behind brain degeneration?
- [25:51]
B
Leaky gut might be involved. We don't have, you know, solid evidence to say, first of all, leaky gut is intestinal permeability. So undue, intestinal chronic. Chronic and undue intestinal permeability. That's what is sometimes referred colloquially as leaky gut. I can't say, you know, with certainty that leaky gut causes, you know, or intestinal permeability causes Alzheimer's disease. But leaky gut, intestinal permeability can drive inflammation and the brain sits downwind of inflammatory processes in the body. And the gut is a huge mediator of inflammation because it's your body's largest interface with the environment. So when you have excessive intestinal permeability, you're allowing compounds to enter circulation that shouldn't be there. The compounds that are, I think, most risky are components of gram negative bacteria that live in the large intestine called lipopolysaccharide, also known as endotoxin, and can be profoundly inflammatory when allowed to enter circulation. And typically like that doesn't occur. But when you have a, an excessively leaky gut, which can be driven by, you know, not consuming enough fiber, which is one of the reasons why fiber continues to be really good for us. We see direct relationship between how much fiber a person is eating and reduced risk for, you know, myriad non communicable diseases. All cause mortality, et cetera. You want to consume more fiber to help basically seal up the pores in the gut. And it is speculated that the brain will benefit from that because that will allow the brain to exist in what is essentially a, you know, a lower inflammation environment.
- [27:30]
A
There's so much conflicting science right now about seed oils. Everywhere you look, it's like this person's saying they're great. There's no evidence they're bad for you. This person's like, there's so much evidence that they're bad for you. How do we know what's true?
- [27:39]
B
I don't think that flooding the modern food environment with industrially refined, bleached and deodorized grain and seed oils is, is good for us. But I also think that like, we, we can't lose sight of like the big picture, big levers. I like to Say it's important to major in the majors, not the minors. And you know, for most people today, struggling with insulin res, struggling with overweight and obesity, hyper fixating on seed oils, I think is losing sight of the forest for the trees. That being said, there are still a lot of looming questions about the brain health consequences of flooding the modern food environment with these hyper industrialized seed oils that are rich in linoleic acid. Now linoleic acid is an, it's an essential nutrient. We require a certain amount of omega 6 fatty acids. From, from the standpoint of health, there are looming questions about what the over consumption of linoleic acid is doing from the standpoint of brain health. There's also a question of the processing of these oils. These oils typically are extracted from the whole food matrix where they're typically, you know, in whole foods, omega 6 fatty acids, linoleic acid are found with antioxidants like vitamin E, which is a really important fat soluble antioxidant that serves in whole foods to protect those fats. When we extract these fats as we do when we're producing grain and seed oils, right. We're using sometimes harsh chemical solvents or really high temperatures. And what we're, what we're doing as a result is we are damaging these, these oils and then they become further damaged when they are, you know, heated and, and especially reheated in the commercial fryer setting. And so, you know, I don't think that that's likely good for the brain, but we don't have solid data to say that. That being said, absence of evidence is not evidence of, of absence. So I think it, you know, I think caution is, is warranted. But again, like, you know, you don't want to lose sight of the forest for the trees if you are 50 pounds overweight and you're fixating on, you know, whether or not the, the, the junk food in your hand that you're debating buying is made with sunflower oil or beef tallow. Like you're, you're missing the point. Right? You know, yeah, you got to lose those, those 50.
- [29:50]
A
And if you're focusing on exactly what the dietary guidelines say, eating real food.
- [29:54]
B
Yeah.
- [29:55]
A
You will naturally avoid seed oils. That's kind of the, that is the gist.
- [29:58]
B
Yeah, that is the gist.
- [29:59]
A
You don't have to worry about if you're eating real food for the most part, like it's not going to be there.
- [30:03]
B
For example, like I eat a largely gluten free diet, not because I'm specifically avoiding or afraid of gluten. It's just that like, I tend to reach for foods that have the most nutritional bang for the buck that are the most nutrient dense. And so like bread is not a very nutrient dense food. I'm opting, you know, primarily with every meal for like nutrient dense animal source proteins, for dark leafy greens, for berries, for cruciferous vegetables and things like that, you know, legumes and. And so that's naturally going to be like a gluten free diet. We don't want to allow ourselves to slide into food fear. Right. Like as being a human being in the year 2026, like inevitably some seed oils are going to sneak in. Like when I'm traveling on the road, there's no doubt that I'm being exposed to, you know, to, to seed oils. There's, I don't think there's any harm in that. It's just that you don't want to lose sight of the forest for the trees. You want to focus on the big levers. You want to focus on the majors. And when you're eating a diet that is primarily whole foods, which is what the dietary guidelines recommend, you know, hopefully we can, we can now start to better adhere to the dietary guidelines because like, you know, most people didn't adhere to the previous ones. Most people don't even know that there was, you know, what's called the my plate, which is now thankfully retired. If you want to adhere to the dietary guidelines and take them, you know, literally at face value, they say to avoid ultra processed foods and in so doing you're going to naturally reduce your exposure.
- [31:19]
A
Yeah.
- [31:19]
B
To seed oils.
- [31:20]
A
You know what I said recently that really ticked moms off? I tend to do that a lot. And I was repeating reading something that RFK said and it made so many moms mad. RFK advises do not introduce your child, if at all possible, to refined or processed sugar until they are double digits, until they are 10, 10 or above. I mean, you still want to avoid it as much as possible, but try to steer your kids away from that. Now. I just said that. I, I didn't say like, it'll be so easy to do. Obviously I don't have kids yet. Whatever. I just said like, you should opt for this goal. Okay? People lost it. They were like, this is completely unrealistic. Whatever. I'm like, you will prioritize what is important to you. The other thing is, is like it's who you're surrounding yourself with. Look, I have an entire infrastructure of community around me personally who agree with these food values. So that does make it a little bit easier. But, you know, we have friends like Vani Hari, the food babe, who I've interviewed on this show, and I'm like, okay, you have kids. These are your food values. How are you realist doing this? How are you adhering to these standards? And she is saying things like, my kids are taught from a young age, you know, this is what our family believes about food. We're going to this party. There may be something there that, you know, might make your brain buzzy or your tummy hurt. I can pack you, you know, your own treat. And her kids are like, yeah, because they know that food makes them feel sick. I mean, I don't know. Do you think that that's, like, a ridiculous thing that RFK said?
- [32:49]
B
No, I think, you know, shoot for the stars and maybe land on the moon.
- [32:52]
A
Exactly.
- [32:53]
B
I think it's good to have. Have, you know, to. To have ideals and to also acknowledge that, like, you're not going to be perfect and there's no such thing as perfect. And perfect, you know, imperfection is why you and I exist. To quote Stephen Hawkings, like, there's a. There is no such thing as perfection. But I think to. To abide by a certain set of guardrails and ideals, I think makes perfect sense today. As long as you don't. As long as you don't let your ideals become, like, moral sources of judgment in your life.
- [33:21]
A
And, you know, it does require planning ahead, whether it's for your kids, your family, yourself. I have to think about that. So one fun thing that we're gonna do with the team here coming up in the next two months is we're going to Disneyland. And I was like, okay, I want to do Disneyland. I want to see what all Maha approved things I can find. I'm assuming nothing. But we're also going to pack our own Maha approved lunches. We're going to get a locker, we're going to bring it. We're going to show how to do, like, how would Alex do Disney? The Maha way that requires planning ahead. You have to think also. I think you're going to save a lot of money that way, by the way. Yeah. When it comes to, like, your kids going to sporting events or anything, like, you're probably going to have to pack their own snacks or their own food. But everyone I know in my life that believes in this movement, they're all willing to do that. If you're not willing to do that for your own family, that's Your choice.
- [34:08]
B
Yeah, look, it's also important to, to recognize that like, really strict food rules in the home might be setting your kid up for eating disorders down the line.
- [34:16]
A
I agree with that. But it's like an open conversation. And so what I've heard a lot of people do like Carlin call just ingredients. You know her?
- [34:25]
B
I'm somewhat familiar. Yeah.
- [34:27]
A
Yeah. She is a mom of multiple kids, tons of them running around. And she says, you know, it's an open conversation. When her kids are old enough, like they're teenagers driving or whatever, you know, and they are, they have access to go get their own food. They'll say like, hey, I really want to go to McDonald's and get pancakes. And she's not saying, like, you're not allowed. You're going to be grounded if you do it. She's like, okay. And then what ends up happening is like, they've grown up their entire life eating this way at home. When they have access to other food, whether that's somebody else's house or driving on their own or whatever, they've tried it. And then they're like, I feel so sick. And it's like, yep, I know you live and you learn. So it's kind of like giving them some of that exposure and then they're experiencing it. Or like, you know, your kid is just throwing like a absolute fit. Like, I've got to have this sucker with food dyes in it. Okay, well, it's probably gonna make you feel sick because you've never had this. They take, they have a little bit and then they're not feeling well the rest of the day. They learn their lesson pretty quick. And most of my friends, it's like they don't ever ask again.
- [35:19]
B
Yeah, no. I think it's really important to cultivate awareness around, around that. Like, as I'm not a parent either, but like, you know, did it make your tummy hurt? Well, make a mental note of that. But on the other hand, I think it's delicate because we don't want to like create like a nocebo effect in our children like that where they're now expecting to feel sick when they eat something that's not mommy approved. You know, I, I don't know. I think it's like a, it's, it's a, it's a balance. Like, it's got to be difficult for, for parents. Today, the modern supermarket is 73% ultra processed foods. And these foods are aggressively marketed and they're marketed, many of them are marketed specifically to children. So I can't even imagine, like how overwhelming it's got to be to be a mom today. Like navigating the modern minefield of ultra processed foods. It's got to be like, really difficult.
- [36:01]
A
You got to say in the comments what you guys do in your family and how you navigate it. I'm very curious. What is one thing that people still don't realize accelerates brain aging?
- [36:09]
B
Air pollution is a big one. I know that you're a fan of Jasper. I'm a fan of Jasper. My, my girlfriend loves the, the, the device to be considered a fringe idea that particles in the air could be driving brain disease. But as of 2024, it was acknowledged by the Lancet that air pollution, chronic exposure to air pollution is a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and dementia. It's also likely involved in Parkinsonism as well. So being really cognizant of the air that you're breathing. The nose is the front door to the brain. So you want to make sure that the air that you're breathing is clean. And there's even some data actually suggesting, like randomized control data suggesting that just breathing in cleaner air might actually improve blood pressure. There was a study that found that having HEPA filters in the house can actually in a, in a small but meaningful way, improve systolic blood pressure, which is a risk factor. You know, again, hypertension is a risk risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. So if you're living in an area where, you know there's excessive PM 2.5, which is also known as fine particulate matter, or you're exposed to industrial solvents and the like, you want to make sure that you're breathing in, yeah. Clean air in your home especially.
- [37:15]
A
And I think some people will hear us talk about air pollution. They're like, oh, well, I'm good because I live in the country. But the problem is, is that your indoor air is now in modern day, oftentimes more polluted than outside air because of all of the paint we're using, the furniture we're buying that's super toxic. The cleaning products we're using in our homes, it's completely polluting the indoor air. That's why everybody is like, you've got to open your window at least 20 minutes a day, no matter the weather. Like those people in Nashville right now, they're like, what do you mean? I'm like, keep them open and then you could shut them really quick. But it is so crucial because you're basically creating this like, hot Box of toxins that you, your kids, your pets are just breathing in every single day. And that's what having an air scrubber in your house like that, what you're talking about is, is, is truly, it's making it like when it is, you know, Nashville frozen tundra out there, you can have almost like it's fresh air. No matter if the windows are closed or open.
- [38:12]
B
Indoor air can be orders of magnitude more polluted than outdoor air because of the off gassing of furniture, the presence of volatile organic compounds which readily evaporate. Typically what you ingest has to bypass the blood brain barrier for it to gain entry to the brain. But what you inhale through your nose, it has, you know, easy access through the olfactory bulb to the brain. And this is one of the reasons why it's speculated that the sense of smell is one the earliest senses to kind of become diminished. You know, pre preclinical Alzheimer's disease and even Parkinson's disease, sense of smell is, is affected. So you want to make sure that, you know, what you're breathing is, is, is clean air. With again, the acknowledgement that like, you know, we, we're all going to end up in polluted parts of the, of the world now. And then it's about the chronic exposure to these kinds of pollutants. But there have been studies in, for example, Mexico City decades ago, before they cleaned up the air where they found, found, you know, they, they looked at the brains of cadavers across the age spectrum. So even children that had been exposed to, you know, chronically polluted air, and they find pathology that looks a lot like Alzheimer's disease, like accelerated Alzheimer's pathology in the brains of people who were breathing in, you know, excessively polluted air. And again, it's because amyloid, it's thought that amyloid actually at least initially serves a protective purpose in the brain. So for people who are breathing in these, these particles, right, that again, have easy access to the brain, that amyloid might aggregate gate as a way of protecting the brain from, from, you know, the exposure to these particles. All that is to say, you want to make sure that your air is clean, you want to make sure that your water is clean, you want to make sure that your food is clean.
- [39:52]
A
People are spending $5,000 on their couch and not even thinking about the fact that is probably poisoning the air in your home from the VOCs it releases. If you care about your health, real health, you need to care about the air inside your home. That is why I'm Obsessed with the Jasper air scrubber. And obviously Max is obsessed too. Casper is first of its kind, the only air scrubber built specifically for home use. This is not a toy. It is industrial grade air cleaning power. The same level used for wildfire smoke mold and disaster cleanup. It's redesigned though, so it actually looks really pretty in your house. There's no gimmicks, there's no five different sizes that don't even work. It comes in one perfectly engineered size. Large enough to clean your air effectively, sleek enough to blend right into your room. We've got one right here on the set. It's always behind. My guess it uses smart sensors to track PM 2.5. That's what Max talked about. Capturing ultra fine particles from dust, pollen, smoke, cooking and airborne mold. And it doesn't stop there. Jasper removes VOCs, the invisible chemicals coming from cleaners, paints, furniture and household products. If you've got a brand new new build that you're moving in, you better believe my windows are open and I'm having my Jasper running 24 7. When I am traveling, my Jasper never turns off because all that dust and crap will settle when people are not in your house moving around. Here's what's wild. Jasper is now one of the bestselling culture apothecary products of all time with absolutely perfect reviews. My friends are telling me their kids are sleeping through the night, snoring has disappeared, illnesses don't linger anymore. It is backed by a lifetime warranty because this is a long term investment in your health. Not just during allergy season, but year round. Especially in winter when indoor air quality really tanks. Go to Jasper Co, that's jco use code Alex. That's Jasper Co J Code Alex. The best air scrubber you will ever use. You guys know I'm obsessive about the foundations of health. And one thing most people completely overlook, especially in the dark winter months, is light exposure. Humans evolved with sunlight, okay? When winter hits, days get shorter, we spend more time indoors and we lose exposure not just to visible light, but to red and near infrared light, which play a real biological role in how our cells function. Red and near infrared light have been studied for their ability to support mitochondrial function, which helps drive cellular energy production. That matters for muscle recovery, inflammation, skin health, circulation, sleep quality and overall daily energy. When your cells function better, everything works better. That is why red light therapy is a non negotiable in my routine and why I use my juve. I also by the way, just got my mom a juve. This was really important because she's experiencing a lot of arthritic types of complications. What sets Joovv apart is that it actually, actually works. Joov uses clinically proven wavelengths, delivers a safe and effective dose of light, and offers true medical grade panels that are independently tested and safety certified. That is critical because there are a lot of fake devices out there using the wrong wavelengths with zero testing. Oh, my gosh. Please be careful when you're ordering online. I personally have used juve daily for. Oh, my gosh. It was like, during the pandemic, I. I got my first juve, maybe 20, 21. So it's been like five years. All right. I use it in the morning, about 10 minutes, and sometimes I'll do it at night to wind down literally 10 minutes. There's a timer on there. I can read my Bible. I can do my devotions. I can also sit in silence. You can sit, close your eyes, listen to a podcast. It's become one of the easiest, most consistent tools in my wellness routine. Also, put it on and have it on you and your baby as you are breastfeeding. I also love that Joov offers a wide range of options, whether you want targeted treatment or a full body setup in your house. If you want to support your health at the cell, especially during winter, Joov makes it simple. Go to Joovv.com Alex. It's J-O-O-V-V.com Alex to get a exclusive offer in your checkout. Joovv.com J-O-O-V dash V dot com Alex. Some exclusions apply. What are you doing for water filters?
- [43:57]
B
Well, I drink. I'm pretty privileged. I. I order, like, spring water. I drink that, you know, in glass.
- [44:03]
A
Are you doing in my house Mountain Valley or Saratoga or what I do?
- [44:06]
B
Mountain Valley. Yeah. But before that, I was using a. A reverse osmosis purifier, which my brother just got for his house in. He lives in Vegas. And he spent like, just a couple hundred dollars. It was like 2, 3. He said just 2, $300 to equip his kitchen sink. But yeah, so he has that, like, new little spout that he can fill his cup. Yeah, there was a study a couple of months ago that came out. It was an observational study. It was sort of, you know, imperfect. But what they found was that people who live very close to golf courses might have a doubling of risk of Parkinson's with the thinking that on these courses, these. These golf courses, they spray crazy chemicals to make sure that the courses stay nice. Like Way more than like in our food supply. But the speculation in this paper was that some of those chemicals are then able to enter groundwater. So for people who still drink from wells, and if those people live close to golf courses, I think it was like less than a mile from golf courses, there was potentially a doubling of risk for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
- [45:03]
A
Well, you know, Scottsdale, where I live and where we film is like the number one capital of golf courses. Yeah, we've got them all over.
- [45:12]
B
Yeah. So you want to make sure that you're drinking like, especially if you live in, in that kind of environment. Like, you know, you don't have to get up and move. But I think just being cognizant of your environment, like the, the air pollution side of things, you want to make sure that you're drinking clean water. Crucially important stuff. And like again, reverse osmosis, I think can be a really inexpensive. You can even get countertop reverse osmosis purifiers. At this point. I have no affiliation with people who are, who are producing those. If that's not within reach for you, then just even like a charcoal filter. Better than nothing.
- [45:38]
A
You are extremely anti nicotine. Even RFK is on it. What is your beef with nicotine?
- [45:45]
B
I'm not extremely anti.
- [45:46]
A
He's nicotine's number one enemy.
- [45:48]
B
No, no, no, no. I actually have a nuanced take on nicotine. I, I'm not extremely anti. I think it's a, it's a good nootropic. But I think chronic use is very bad from a cardiorespiratory standpoint. So using it regularly I think is very bad. Using it from like, on a, like acutely. We don't have the data to say that that has, you know, any significant negative downside. It's not a carcinogen. And I'm talking about like pouches, like, like just nicotine. I'm not talking about combustible pouches or patches. Yeah, combust. Like cigarettes are bad for you.
- [46:18]
A
Risk factor with all those other chemicals.
- [46:20]
B
Exactly. Carcinogens and volatile organic, organic compounds and the like. There is some data, like very tenuous at this point. Data suggesting that nicotine might play a protective role against Parkinson's disease. There is this weird super paradoxical line of research link cigarette smoking to a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease, which is very odd because smoking is a risk factor for everything else, pretty much Alzheimer's disease and the like. But for some reason smokers have a lower risk of Parkinson's disease. And there have been some mechanistic like animal studies linking nicotine specifically to a sort of, you know, anti inflammatory, antioxidant ability in the brain that might help it, you know, in a way defend itself against toxic exposure. We don't have, have like solid human data yet to say that with certainty. So I want people to be really careful. I'm not saying that nicotine is good for the brain. We need more data to say that for sure. And I do think that, that there are very significant cardiovascular downsides like chronic use of nicotine, you know, increases heart rate, it increases blood pressure. You just don't, don't want to do it chronically I think. And nicotine is a highly addictive chemical so it's like kind of, it's difficult to not use chronically once you start using it. All that being said, like as a nootropic, like as a cognitive boosting, you know, supplement if you are able to have a responsible relationship relationship with it. I mean it does seem to boost, you know, acuity, focus and stuff like that.
- [47:41]
A
What should people in their 20s and 30s be doing to protect their brains?
- [47:44]
B
Well, in your 20s and 30s you just, you generally want to make sure that you're building your, your bank, so to speak of, of skeletal muscle. There's no better life insurance than having more muscle on your body for both men and women. And so I'm a big advocate of resistance training for men, women. No matter how old you are, I think the more muscle you can have on your body in your 20s and 30s because it becomes increasingly difficult to put on muscle as you get older. There's, you know, menopause, there's andropause. Every decade after the age of 30, I mean, usually coincides with a 2 to 3% loss in skeletal muscle mass, which is typical, but doesn't necessarily have to be the case. So resistance training I think is crucially important. Lifting weights and doing it with sufficient intensity. You know, I think if you're in the gym and you, you're like just being there is, you know, in a way it, it's good cuz it shows initiative. But you really owe it to yourself if you're, if you're making the time in your, in your schedule to go to the gym and to resistance train, you should know how to do it effectively. And I think a lot of people, a big mistake that many people make is that they don't train with sufficient intensity to properly send that stimulus to your muscles to adapt and grow stronger. Men typically are, you know, more amenable because they're men tend to be egoically tied to the nose number on the of the weights that they're lifting. But I think men and women should really, you know, become better acquainted with the level of intensity required to actually grow muscle, which is like, you know, you want to be lifting two or very close to failure on most of your sets.
- [49:17]
A
Most of us have parents that are now in their 50s or 60s. If you were going to build a perfect anti dementia diet or plate, I should say, what would be on that plate?
- [49:28]
B
I think protein. Optimizing around high quality sources of, of protein. Especially because older adults tend to undereat proteins.
- [49:36]
A
What does that mean? High quality sources?
- [49:37]
B
So animal source proteins, primarily legumes like soy, you know, can be a high quality protein source. But by and large the, the best, most efficient way to get high quality protein would be from animal source foods. Lean proteins like, you know, red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, et cetera. Adults in general tend to save the bulk of their daily protein intake for late in the day for dinner, which leaves a huge window of opportunity earlier in the day to be hitting your protein target, which is important for stimulating muscle protein synthesis, which is important not just for growing muscles and getting yolked, but for maintaining your musculature. So older adults really ought to, to, you know, begin thinking about how to get more protein in earlier in the day. Higher quality protein because protein quality, when you're eating enough protein, protein quality, the importance of protein quality tends to kind of fade away a little bit. But when you're not eating enough protein, protein quality really matters. And so high quality sources of protein, again, animal source foods primarily, you want to prioritize. And I would look to distributing that protein, you know, more evenly throughout the day. So at breakfast, like look to see where you can increase your protein intake at breakfast. So, so that would be number one. Because the link between healthy skeletal muscle and brain health is incontrovertible at this point. We know that, you know, being stronger in body rewards the brain. It makes you more insulin sensitive. It, you know, it gives you the capacity to, for mobility, for exercise. Muscle also releases compounds called myokines like BDNF or brain derived neurotrophic factor, which is like a miracle, miracle. Grow protein for the brain.
- [51:15]
A
What about fermented foods? That's in the new dietary guidelines for the first time.
- [51:18]
B
Yeah, fermented foods are great. Fermented foods are one of the best way to encourage gut microbial diversity in the colonic ecosystem.
- [51:26]
A
You were having your mom eat a Lot of kimchi in the documentary you made about her.
- [51:31]
B
Yes. Fermented foods are, are really wonderful. They, you know, they contain often probiotic bacteria, which is really important. Like a lot of people are, you know, spend lots of money on probiotic supplements, but you could just eat probiotic foods. Fermented foods also contain postbiotic compounds, compounds that we have yet to even identify that, that seem to be strongly linked to better health.
- [51:51]
A
How important eggs.
- [51:52]
B
I think eggs are wonderful. They're one of nature's multivitamins. They're a cognitive multivitamin. An egg yolk literally contains everything that nature has deemed important to grow a brain. So there's now evidence linking the a specific nutrient in egg yolks called choline to better long term brain health.
- [52:07]
A
What if you have an egg allergy?
- [52:08]
B
Well, if you have an egg allergy, hope is not lost. You can still get choline from red meat.
- [52:14]
A
I have duck eggs, so I have a chicken egg allergy.
- [52:16]
B
Duck eggs are okay.
- [52:17]
A
I have no reaction to duck eggs at all.
- [52:19]
B
Whoa. Oh, that's so interesting. Yeah.
- [52:21]
A
Quail eggs also. And usually you can get either of these things at your local farmers market.
- [52:25]
B
That's amazing.
- [52:25]
A
Yeah.
- [52:26]
B
Yeah. I didn't know that. Duck eggs are, are awesome. Yeah, I've had them, you know, a handful of times.
- [52:31]
A
They taste exactly the same to me.
- [52:32]
B
Do they?
- [52:33]
A
To me they do.
- [52:33]
B
Huh.
- [52:34]
A
I can't tell a difference.
- [52:35]
B
Yeah, there was a study that found. It was an observational study, you know, so make of that what you will. Correlation isn't causation. Lots of limitations in nutrition, you know, epidemiology. But it found that people who consumed eggs about, about, you know, all it took was one egg a week to slash dementia risk by 50%, which was crazy to, to see. And you know, again, like correlation doesn't equal causation. But mechanistically, like, egg yolks do contain a lot of nutrients that are beneficial to brain health. Carotenoids. Choline, which I mentioned, vitamin B12.
- [53:04]
A
Are there any other so called brain superfoods that you think are really underrated?
- [53:08]
B
Avocados, I think are amazing from a brain health standpoint. There was a study that found that avocado consumers compared to non consumers, consumers, you know, excelled in virtually every cognitive domain that was tested for, again compared to non consumers. And guacamole counted. So, you know, when they ask you if you're. You want to pay extra for the guac at Chipotle, I think it's definitely an investment worth making.
- [53:28]
A
You have pets, don't you?
- [53:30]
B
Yeah, I have a cat, Delilah. Shout out.
- [53:31]
A
Shout out. Delilah. Biggest fan of the show. That's what I heard anyway. Does Delilah eat a raw food diet or real food diet?
- [53:39]
B
I give her raw egg yolks occasionally. Originally from pastured chickens. I give her raw egg yolks. I give her astaxanthin, which is one of my favorite longevity nutrients. Have you heard of astaxanthin? Are you taking astaxanthin? So, astaxanthin, full disclosure, I became an advisor in a company that produces it, but I've been, I've been taking it for decades prior to that relationship. It's the, it's a carotenoid that's found exclusively in marine animals and it specifically is what gives salmon its reptiles color. And it's one of the most powerful antioxidants that has yet to be identified in nature. And it's fat soluble, so it protects fatty structures in the body. Your brain cells, your eyes, your skin. It's really good for skin health.
- [54:21]
A
Send this to me.
- [54:22]
B
Yeah, no, it's super, it's super powerful. I take 24 milligrams a day and I, the, the company that I, that I, that I work with creates, it's a, it's, it's, it creates a version of astaxanthin that's unique because it's a powder. So most astaxanthin on the market, it is like liquid. So it's, it's you know, solvent in like in, in fat. But the powder is cool because I mix it. Basically I can like give like Delilah, like a tiny bit of it. I could dose it out and I give her like, I think like a milligram a day or something like that. And it's like a longevity nutrient. It activates longevity pathways in the body. And you know, it's one of the few nutrients that was actually identified in the NIH's Interventions Testing Program that extended mammalian life, specifically in male mice. But nonetheless, I mean, this was super exciting. It extended the life of male mice by 10% and it was perfectly safe. So there are other compounds that have been shown to boost lifespan, but not with the same safety profile as astaxanthin. So I give a little bit to my cat and I take it every day.
- [55:24]
A
You've mentioned that mouthwash can be super harmful for the brain.
- [55:28]
B
Mouthwash might have downstream consequences on the brain when used chronically. And specific kinds of mouthwash like antiseptic mouthwash because they can boost blood pressure. Antiseptic mouthwash indiscriminately kills bacteria in the mouth that are really important when it comes to synthesizing nitrite, which is a, a crucial compound as part of the nitric oxide pathway in our bodies that is really important for helping to normalize blood pressure and body, boost blood, blood flow. And so when you eat a bowl of dark leafy greens that are rich in nitrates, inorganic nitrates, you have bacteria in your mouth, in your mouth that convert these nitrates to nitrite, which then, you know, it's this long, complicated pathway, but basically boosts nitric oxide, which is a gas created in our endothelium that helps to relax blood vessels and boost blood flow and lower blood pressure. When you frequently swish with antiseptic mouthwash every day, you're killing the bacteria in your mouth mouth that are responsible for that conversion process. So there have been observational studies that have linked frequent use of mouthwash to doubling of risk for hypertension and increasing risk by 50% for type 2 diabetes. These are observational studies. You know, more research needs to be done, you know, all the necessary caveats. But mechanistically we know that, you know, that oral bacteria are really important and if you're just like nuking them twice a day with antiseptic mouthwash and especially pharmaceutical grade mouthwash wash like chlorhexadine, it's, it's not doing your blood pressure any favors.
- [56:58]
A
Charlie would have absolutely loved you. Just the way that you are able to recall so much information at the drop of a hat is so fun for me.
- [57:07]
B
Thank you.
- [57:08]
A
It reminds me so much of Charlie, just like all these stats, like, how do you freaking remember all this? I guess because you've got good brain health.
- [57:14]
B
Good brain health. Yeah, I mean, I, I, I practice what I preach, but also because, I mean, we didn't even get into this. The reason why I do what I do is because my mom had dementia and she had it for many years and it was the most gutting thing I've ever experienced in my life. It was truly heartbreaking and traumatic and, and my why is trying to understand how this condition, why this condition robbed the most important person in my life. For me, I have a bit of a photographic memory for this, you know, this data because I have such a vested interest in it. You know, dementia is something that affects millions of people globally and numbers are set to explode in the coming years. And my mom had it, so, so my goal has always been to become a walking meta analysis of sorts for this, for this data.
- [57:58]
A
What are the earliest signs of dementia that don't have to do with memory.
- [58:02]
B
A loss of sense of smell is something that you want, you know, if there's a sudden decrease in your capacity to smell, go to a doctor, like check with a neurologist. With regards to Parkinson's disease, very few people know this, but constipation is a very early preclinical symptom of the condition. If you have, have like sudden onset constipation, you know, and, and you've ruled out all the, the other obvious causes, you know, other medical causes, you haven't changed your diet recently, you haven't gone traveling. If there's something Arai, I'm not saying that, that, that you have Parkinson's disease, but it's something that you might want to just like bring up to your doctor. Those are the primary, you know, the, the, the two, the two that I can think of off the top of my head, you know, any change in memory, memory. But you said non memory related. Any change in memory is something that you want to bring up to your doctor.
- [58:55]
A
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- [61:41]
B
Some researchers have have posited that loneliness is as harmful to the body as smoking. And that's because loneliness basically is pro inflammatory. It's a stress on the body. I mean we're social creatures and loneliness is distinct from being alone. Like you can be comfortably alone. But people who really have a sense of despair around their aloneness and feel that that sense of loneliness, yeah that that's a stressor that can drive, you know, potentially inflammation in the body and again brain sits, you know, downstream of that. Depression is another modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and dementia. So you know, you definitely want to cater to your mental, mental health, find ways of mitigating stress and find ways of staying socially connected.
- [62:29]
A
What do we know about sauna use in brain health?
- [62:31]
B
Regular use of saunas have been linked to reduced risk for dementia. These are observational studies and their studies, you know Primarily done in a part of the world where sauna use is very common. Like in Finland, saunas are like, that.
- [62:46]
A
Is big deal there, even pregnant women, 100% there's.
- [62:49]
B
In Finland, you have on average one sauna per household, which is like a lot different than, you know, here in the United States, which I think, you know, is actually kind of cool because it accounts for some of the healthy user bias that might otherwise confound that observation. Like in Finland, sauna use is like taking a shower. Like it's so much ingrained in the, in the culture there in that part of the world. What they found is that sauna used two to three times a week is associated associated with a roughly 35% reduced risk of dementia. And then four to five times a week, I believe was associated with like a 50 risk reduction for dementia. Yeah. So a dose effect, meaning the more you use it, the more, you know, there seems to be this risk mitigation. And I think one of the major mechanisms there, if that observational finding, you know, is to bear out in other, you know, know, data. I think part of it has to do with the fact that regular sauna use can reduce risk of hypertension. It increases your heart rate and it increases blood pressure when you're sitting in the sauna. But then there's a rebound effect where it tends to, you know, I think it tends to reduce blood pressure and heart rate afterwards. It's like the best form of aerobic exercise you can do while sitting perfectly still in a sauna. It boosts nitric oxide, so it's really good for your blood vessels. And that's all great from a brain health standpoint. So I'm a big fan of, of sauna use. You know, within means you can, you can probably go overboard there'. Probably there's likely a U shaped curve in the sense that like, using sauna regularly is probably very good for you in comparison to not using it at all. But then using it too much is probably, you know, not good either. The same way that we could overdo exercise, the same way that we can do other healthy behaviors.
- [64:28]
A
We've talked a lot about prevention, but there are people listening who have loved ones who are battling dementia or Alzheimer's that are in the thick of it right now. It's already there. What would be the first thing that you would tell them to encourage them and then that they should try to change if they can?
- [64:43]
B
I think exercise is one of the best things that you can do and encouraging loved ones that are experiencing cognitive decline to Exercise and exercise vigorously. I mean, there is good data suggesting that that can slow the course. So nobody's ever recovered from Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, it's not a, it's not a reversible condition. We don't have the data to say that. But you can slow its progression. I think the data is pretty clear on this, that with, you know, regular vigorous exercise, by optimizing sleep and by, you know, optimizing around a whole foods, nutrient rich, antioxidant rich diet, I think that that can really go a long way. Slowing the course, I think is the best that we can hope for. And that's a, that, that is a big win if you can do that. So I think that's crucially important. And then when it comes to other interventions, you know, there's, there are precious few tools in the toolkit when it comes to effectively treating Alzheimer's disease. Like Alzheimer's drug trials have a 99.6% fail rate. It's like it's disease abysmal. But there is this growing signal that creatine might help. And I'm not yet going to make the recommendation that people should go out and start giving their loved ones heaps of creatine. But there was a, a pilot study that came out a couple of months ago. It didn't have a placebo group and it used a very high dose of creatine. But nonetheless it found that this dose was safe and effective for improving cognitive function in patients with, with Alzheimer's disease. There's also a signal. We need more research on this. It's certainly not a cure but for, for, you know, years there's been this, this body of literature suggesting that ketogenic diets might play, you know, a potential role in, in, you know, keeping quality of life.
- [66:24]
A
Avoiding those processed carbs.
- [66:25]
B
Yeah, avoiding processed carbs. And also importantly giving the brain sort of an, a backdoor energetic substrate to create energy from which are ketones. So whether it's, you know, a ketogenic diet, which admittedly is a really hard diet to adhere to, but they have, have ketogenic products on the market now. Like there's even a medical, there's an FDA approved medical food called Axona which is like an MCT based product that supplies the brain with ketones and there are, there's like MCT oil on the market now might potentially, you know, h have an impact. So like that might be something worth looking into. There was also a study a couple years ago that found that high dose supplemental vitamin E helped to maintain Quality of life in sufferers with Alzheimer's disease. Disease. I think the dose was about 2,000 international units of vitamin E a day, which for a humble vitamin, you know, I mean, that's like a pretty, pretty big win. And these are all very small studies, so I just want to be really clear to caveat that these are not cures or anything, but, but these all, you know, might be worth looking into, but exercise, I would consult with my neurologist and talk to them about creatine. I would potentially look to a ketogenic diet or ketogenic therapies. And that's like, you know, truly taking a kitchen sink approach.
- [67:33]
A
So let's say you're at a social setting, you're at a party, and you're kind of rambling through, through like all of this, like what you're passionate about. And somebody says like, oh yeah, dementia, Alzheimer's. I mean, I'm like 30 years old. I don't really need to worry about that right now.
- [67:45]
B
It's a condition that begins in the brain decades prior to the onset of symptoms. So, like, for somebody in their 30s and 40s, now is the time to start thinking about your, about your long term brain health. But the other cool thing about these interventions is that they also improve the way that your brain functions, like in the present. I mean, as I mentioned, avocado is like an incredible brain food. It's got, you know, it's rich in fat soluble antioxidants that protect your brain long term, like vitamin E. Carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, but they also boost cognitive function, it seems, at least according to the observational data. There's randomized control clinical data showing that, you know, these carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, which are abundant in avocados and dark leafy greens, can also improve cognitive function in the here and now, like in people who are young and healthy. So this isn't just a long term investment. These same foods boost the way that your brain functions like today, which I think is such a crazy and important value add that we shouldn't just like sweep under the rug.
- [68:41]
A
Tell everybody about your podcast, your book, and your movie.
- [68:43]
B
Yeah, so I host a podcast called the Genius Life. It's one of the top health and wellness podcasts. You know, we cover a lot of different topics with humor, with levity, but also we, you know, I, I aim to be as rigorous as possible, but my episodes are not super long winded or dry. Like, we try to have fun with it, it's a podcast that I'm super proud of again called the Genius Life, on YouTube and on all podcast platforms. I've written three books, Genius Foods, the Genius Life and Genius Kitchen, which is a cookbook. 100 plus delicious brain healthy recipes. And then my documentary is really my why. And it's a project that I implore everybody to check out. It's on Apple TV and Amazon prime and it documents my why. It's a story of my mom. It's a story of dementia prevention. Anybody who's listening to this, who's ever had a loved one with dementia will find solace in, in the film. It's a real intimate portrait of what it feels like to have dementia, what it feels like to be a caregiver. And it also has some really high level takeaways in terms of how you might live to reduce your risk for that condition. It's the first ever and the only to my knowledge, dementia prevention documentary.
- [69:47]
A
How did you even think in the moment? Because you started filming that when, I don't know, 2011 or something?
- [69:51]
B
Yeah, around then. I 2013, end of 2013, I believe.
- [69:55]
A
So how did you think? Think like, oh, I should probably start recording this, like going and visiting my mom as she's starting to kind of have cognitive decline.
- [70:02]
B
I started college on a pre med track and then I ended up pivoting to documentary filmmaking because I just love the immediacy of documentary filmmaking and I've always been really interested in, you know, life is fleeting. Like we, especially prior to the, I mean, you know, advent of. I'm going to sound like a dinosaur for saying this, but like iPhones and you know, really high quality cameras that fit in your pocket. Pocket. Like we didn't have the ways that we now might take for granted to immortalize life's precious, fleeting moments, you know. So in college this dawned on me as something like, really important to, as a way to immortalize and pay homage to these moments that would otherwise just like, pass by like water under a bridge. And when my mom became sick, I intuitively just felt like as an artist, you know, one really meaningful way for me to, to transmute this pain, this thing that was unfolding in my life that was so incredibly painful and turn it into something meaningful was to turn on a camera and to document it, to document what my mom was going through, what I was going through. And at the same time, I was resourceful enough to recognize that by doing this, by saying that I was working on a documentary, it would allow me access to Some of these researchers and scientists who, whose work I was reading once I started going down this rabbit hole, because, you know, like, as anybody who's ever been sick or who has had a sick loved one knows, like, you get precious few moments in that physician's office, especially these days in the, you know, health insurance model, right. It's like almost an assembly line. You're lucky if you get 15 minutes. And those 15 minutes are colored often by fear and by frustration. Frustration. And you don't always get to ask the questions that you intended on asking in that doctor's visit. Right. So for me, because the most important person in my life I was seeing descend further every day, further and further down this neurodegenerative abyss, I basically decided to exploit this documentary project for my mom's benefit and for my family's benefit, to then use it as a calling card to go and sit with these researchers whose work that I was reading and ask them, him, like, up close and personal, like, why did my mom develop this condition? Why is anybody developing this condition? It took 10 years to, to. To finalize. But yeah, little empty boxes is like the fruit of that, of that process. And it's something that, you know, I. I no longer have my mom, and I miss her every day. And the knowing that I have this documentary out there and that I can always, you know, feel like I'm back with her, it's just been so. Yeah, I'm so grateful and, you know, I don't. Making a documentary is like the most difficult thing in the world. I don't recommend it to anybody after going through this process, but I'm so grateful that I have it.
- [72:46]
A
What's your Instagram?
- [72:47]
B
It's just my name at Max Lugavere. M A X L U G A V E R E. If you could.
- [72:52]
A
Offer one remedy to heal a sick culture, physically, emotionally or spiritually, what would it be?
- [72:57]
B
I think, like, critical thinking is really important today. Part of me wanted to respond. Kindness, empathy, understanding, compassion. But I think, like, more so now than ever before. We're living in a time of information over overload. And the information is not always good. Attention is a. Is a form of currency. Attention is big business. And so there's this illusion, at least in my space, in your space, in the wellness world, that health is impossibly complex. And it's really not. I think that, you know, there's this tendency for people to want to over complicate things. There's actually. It's a cognitive fallacy. It's called the visual effort fallacy where we tend to undervalue behaviors that seem easy. But that really is, I mean, getting healthy today is not as complicated as, you know, many, well, wellness influencers and even credentialed wellness. You know, health podcasters often make it out to seem like the big levers go a long way. And so I, I think, you know, and that's just a handful of things. It's sleep, it's exercise, it's nutrition. And so yeah, yeah, focusing on the, on the majors and maintaining a critical lens through which you, yeah, ingest information, I think very important today, more so than ever before.
- [74:13]
A
Thank you Max for making your debut on Culture Apothecary.
- [74:15]
B
Thank you Alex. This is so fun.
- [74:20]
A
How good was this episode? I learned so much. Please pause. Leave that five star review for us if you feel the same. New episodes come out every Monday and Thursday at 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern with new fast expert guests anywhere you get your podcasts, find the show on Instagram at Culture Apothecary and me at Real Alex Clark this content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be taken as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthc care professional regarding any questions or decisions related to your health or medical care. I'm Alex Clark and this is Culture Apothecary.