Magnesium is one of the more chronically depleted minerals that have such a profound effect on our health. In fact, possibly 80% of us in North America are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium (Mg) affects many biochemical mechanisms vital for neuronal properties and synaptic plasticity, including the response of N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors to excitatory amino acids, stability and viscosity of the cell membrane, and antagonism of calcium. Mg levels were found to be dec

Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin as we get it from the sun, is something to really consider right now during the fall and winter months. It is produced in our skin in response to sunlight. A large study published in Neurology showed that people with extremely low blood levels of vitamin D were more than twice as likely as those with normal vitamin D levels to develop Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. Vitamin D isn’t just needed for bone health, it’s

Having chronically elevated blood sugar and HbA1c is one thing, but even if they’re normal, there is a hormone called insulin that controls the blood sugar levels. If insulin becomes resistant after repeated bouts of blood sugar spikes, that itself can contribute to high blood sugar levels. However, having high levels of insulin, a sign that shows it’s resistant, can also lead to other symptoms including the brain. This chronically high levels of insulin is what we call ‘hype

There is evidence in at least the early stages of dementia that cognitive decline is driven by metabolic processes (Bredesen, 2014). Diabetes is associated with the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (Campbell, Stephenson, de Courten, Chapman, Bellman, & Aromataris, 2018). The authors observed that “people with diagnosed diabetes had a 73% increased risk of developing dementia and a 56% increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease compared to the general population

Homocysteine is commonly associated as a measure for cardiovascular health such as heart disease and stroke. High homocysteine levels correlate with low vitamin B12 or folate levels, and is a risk factor for heart disease. Homocysteine is an amino acid produced when proteins are broken down. A high homocysteine level, also called hyperhomocysteinemia, can contribute to arterial damage and blood clots in your blood vessels. Homocysteine is now been more strongly correlated to

CRP (C-Reactive Protein) is a test to measure for systemic inflammation in the body. It is non-specific meaning that it doesn’t tell you where the inflammation is at or where it’s coming from. But it gives us a picture of how inflamed your body can be. This test is commonly done in many routine blood tests. Inflammation is one of the subtypes of Alzheimer’s Disease, in that if the body is inflamed, there’s reason to know that the brain is inflamed too. When the brain gets inf

Just like how you have a yearly colonoscopy typically starting at age 50 to screen for any polyps, blood or abnormalities in the bowels, don’t you think it would be ideal to have something to screen for your cognition as you age? People get to a point where they may be having incidents of memory lapses and think it’s just ‘growing older.’ They then ignore those signs until it gets worse and won’t consider doing anything until it really affects their daily life. That’s usually