Optimum Nutrition for the Aging Brain By: Michael Colgan, Ph.D

For the first time in history, over 1,000 scientists in the 130 universities involved in the Human Brain Project, have accurately counted the neurons in the brain. It is much, much higher than we thought, at least 89 billion neurons. It shows why even the best super-computers, such as IBM’s Deep Blue chess-playing computer, which is equivalent to about 200 million brain cells, still have less than one-millionth the power of the human brain.

With such a magnificent machine operating every single activity of your mind and body, it makes good sense to nurture it every day. Yet most of us seem to take our brain for granted, and take less care of it than we do of our teeth. Not a wise strategy because, during aging, the adult brain suffers changes that impair cognition, caused primarily by oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Recent controlled research on people aged 35 and above, documents progressive declines in memory, learning, attention, and decision making. Balance and motor movement also decline.

These findings from recent research are so strong that, in April 2011, the US National Institutes of Health made its first revision in 27 years to the criteria for cognitive impairment, stating that it is not a condition that occurs only in the elderly, but is a progressive decline of brain function that begins decades before it shows. Official intervention has now changed its focus to optimizing health lifelong.Brain Imaging Links Cell Loss to Cognitive Decline

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the human brain confirms cell losses in discrete areas of the brain (illustrated above) that accompany specific cognitive impairments. Especially relevant are cell losses in the prefrontal cortex, a crucial area for attention, decision making, and working memory. New research shows that the integrity of the pre-frontal cortex is highly dependent on its neurochemical environment, especially its nutrition and oxygenation.

Linked to the prefrontal cortex by multiple networks of neurons is the hippocampus, whose neurons produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, essential for the formation of new memories.  Neurotransmitters are chemicals made in the neurons that transfer information from neuron to neuron.  When cells that produce a particular neurotransmitter die, the neurotransmitter flow declines, and the flow of information ceases. As acetylcholine declines with aging, formation of new memories becomes progressively more difficult.

Also linked to the prefrontal cortex, and to the motor cortex behind it, is the substantia nigra (black body), whose neurons produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, critical for attention, decision making, working memory, balance, and motor movement. Loss of dopamine cells with aging results in declines in all these cognitive functions.

Optimizing Brain Nutrition

In collaboration with Isagenix scientists, my research has focussed on brain nutrition.  We reviewed more than 1,000 recent animal studies and human clinical trials that have identified a number of individual nutrients that support different parts of brain function. A few of these trials have found combinations of nutrients that work synergistically.  That is, combining the nutrients multiplies their power to support brain function beyond the use of individual nutrients alone.

Unlike other companies, who have focussed on one or two individual nutrients to support one or two brain functions, we have sought the best synergistic combinations.  From the most significant research we have devised synergistic combinations of eight nutrients to provide potent and wide ranging support of the multiple brain structures and functions discussed above.

We have completed 60-day pilot clinical trials on normal human subjects with the best three formulations we could devise.  Using standardized tests of mental focus, concentration, decision making, and memory, all three trials showed positive effects.  One formulation proved slightly better, and we selected that as the basis of the new Isagenix Brain Support. It is designed to provide optimum brain nutrition.  It is also specifically designed to complement IsaLean Shakes, Ageless Essentials with Product B, and the new Isagenix Sleep Support. There is no other product comparable to Isagenix Brain Support available anywhere.

For more information about this topic and other health and wealth related topics use the following websites:

www.facebook.com/health2money
www.isafun.com
www.billionsisagenix.com
www.health2money.com
www.weightlossbydetox.com

About Dr. Colgan

Dr. Michael Colgan is a world-renowned research scientist, leading expert in the inhibition of aging, and a member of the Isagenix Science Advisory Board. Dr. Colgan has provided nutrition, training and anti-aging programs to more than 11,000 athletes, including many Olympians. He is director of his eponymous Colgan Institute, a consulting, educational and research facility concerned with the effects of nutrition and exercise on athletic performance, along with prevention of chronic degenerative disease, and prevention of degeneration of the brain.

Should Different Athletes Consume Protein Differently?

 Do I need more protein if I’m a bodybuilder? Do I need less protein if I’m a marathon runner? These are valid questions, as athletes participating in various activities manipulate their intakes of carbohydrates, fat, and protein differently to achieve their goals. The simple answer is that protein is key in optimizing the performance of all types of athletes and anyone who exercises, offering numerous advantages when consumed at levels above the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Some studies even show that athletes can benefit from as much as twice the RDA (1).

 

Athletes can be categorized into three main groups based on the goals associated with their chosen activities: endurance athletes, high-intensity athletes, and strength athletes. Endurance athletes include those who participate in activities requiring stamina, such as distance runners, swimmers, cyclists, and triathletes. High-intensity athletes compete in activities that require short, intense bursts of energy focusing on technique, lasting from seconds to only a few minutes. Such athletes include sprinters, volleyball players, and gymnasts. Like high-intensity athletes, strength athletes also engage in activities that require short bursts of energy. However, their primary goal is to attain strength and muscle mass rather than honing a sport-specific skill. The term strength athlete is synonymous with bodybuilder. 

Protein has been shown to boost performance among the three categories of athletes in the following ways:

1. Endurance Athletes 

Endurance athletes engage in low to medium intensity activities that elevate the heart rate for prolonged periods. To generate the energy needed to sustain low intensity exercise over a long duration, the body mainly uses the aerobic system—a system relying on the cardiovascular system to supply oxygen to the muscle. Improving endurance in athletes demands optimizing aerobic energy production, improving cardiovascular fitness, and maximizing the ability of muscle fibers to contract. 

Historically, much more attention has been paid to carbohydrates in maximizing endurance than protein. “Carb-loading” is a popular dietary strategy used by endurance athletes to improve performance, and involves eating foods high in starch prior to events in an effort to maximize muscle glycogen. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate that can be used by the aerobic system to supply muscles with energy. With importance placed on carbohydrate consumption in endurance activities, protein is often pushed to the wayside. Many myths regarding protein intake have circulated among endurance athletes, such as the idea that high protein intake will cause bulky muscle gains that hinder efficiency, or that high protein intake is of greater relevance to strength athletes. 

However, strength and endurance athletes each have similar protein needs, with the only difference being how the body uses the protein in relation to different training regimens. While the protein consumed by strength athletes is primarily used to build muscle, it is used by endurance athletes for muscle repair and other functions related to the effects of prolonged training. Because protein improves endurance performance in a variety of ways, false beliefs resulting in low protein intake are detrimental to the athlete. 

2. High-intensity Athletes

High-intensity athletes seek to perfect technique and train their muscles to perform the powerful functional movements necessary to their sport. They engage in activity that consists of repeated bouts of short intense exercise. Such activity draws on the anaerobic system to make energy. 

In contrast to the aerobic system, the anaerobic system is able to make muscle energy in the absence of oxygen. Although this system is able to rapidly produce the energy needed to drive intense bursts of activity, it cannot be relied upon for extended periods of time—less than a 2 minute maximum. 

The primary goal of high-intensity athletes is to improve performance by perfecting technique and increasing speed, strength, and agility. This requires developing muscle memory for optimally performing a sport-specific movement. It also requires increasing the speed and force with which a muscle contracts, optimizing the lean muscle to fat ratio, and raising the anaerobic threshold. Supplying the body with adequate protein is essential for improving the performance of high-intensity athletes, as protein plays a key role in muscular development and fat loss, and may even beneficially influence factors that affect the anaerobic system.

Protein is the primary substrate used by muscle to achieve the optimal physical adaptations that enhance high-intensity performance. Following a strenuous workout, the body is very sensitive to the effects of protein in stimulating muscle synthesis. Eating protein during the post-exercise period promotes the synthesis of new muscle fiber proteins and an increase in contractile muscle proteins, resulting in greater strength and speed (2). 

3. Strength Athletes

Strength athletes share the same goal as high-intensity athletes in improving strength, but they place a particular emphasis on aesthetics, seeking to achieve optimal muscular proportion while maximizing muscle size and definition. 

Because lifting weights primes the muscles for growth, resistance training is the central component in the work-out regimen of the strength athlete. Like high-intensity athletes, strength athletes draw on the anaerobic system to get the energy they need to fuel their grueling resistance workouts. High protein intake has always been a central component of the dietary strategy used by strength athletes, as they have long recognized its value in promoting muscle synthesis. 

In addition, the beneficial effects of protein in promoting fat loss and preserving muscle is extremely important to strength athletes, who desire a particularly high lean muscle to fat ratio in achieving their aesthetic goals. Although all athletes will benefit from using dietary strategies to maximize muscular development and body composition, this is particularly important to strength athletes. 

Timing, Type, and Source of Protein for Any Athlete 

Following intense exercise, the body is very sensitive to the effects of protein in provoking muscle synthesis. Studies suggest that there is an optimal window during which maximal benefits can be derived from eating protein. Most experts agree that protein eaten close to the end of a workout provides the greatest benefit, especially within an hour after finishing exercise. However, some benefit has even shown to be derived up to 2 hours post-exercise (1, 3). 

An optimal amount of protein is needed to maximally stimulate muscle growth. Studies have shown that a dose of about 18 to 40 grams (depending on body weight, age, and workout length and type) is necessary to trigger muscle synthesis, although no greater benefit is derived from consuming amounts above this level in one sitting (2). 

To optimize muscle growth and repair throughout the day, studies suggest that several meals consisting of about 30 grams of protein each should be eaten throughout the day (3).

Whey Protein

Whey protein, derived from milk, is superior to other protein sources for promoting muscle growth and repair. It is absorbed faster than either casein or soy protein and is higher in BCAAs, ultimately leading to greater muscle synthesis (1, 3). In addition, its high leucine content serves as a trigger for muscle growth. Whey is also the most satiating protein, helping achieve fat loss and an improved body composition.

With the numerous advantages conferred by protein, and whey in particular, incorporating this macronutrient into a dietary and training plan will help any athlete get a leg up on the competition:

• Whey is classified as a fast-absorbing protein. It is absorbed faster to maximize peak muscle growth for high-intensity and strength athletes.
• Compared to other protein sources, whey is higher in BCAAs. BCAAs serve as a trigger for muscle growth after resistance training exercise. 
• Whey protein enhances recovery after exercise because it elicits a higher insulin response that speeds up glycogen resynthesis.
• Enhanced recovery from whey protein enables greater training volume to support increased muscle growth or more frequent training.
• Whey protein stimulates greater fat oxidation following a test meal compared to other protein sources like casein or soy.

Although the goals and training techniques used to improve performance varies by athlete, protein has unanimous benefits among all athletes and exercisers of any kind and should be a central component of any good dietary strategy. 

For more information about this topic and other health and wealth related topics use the following websites:

www.facebook.com/health2money

www.isafun.com

www.billionsisagenix.com

www.health2money.com

www.weightlossbydetox.com

References

1. Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ. Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci 2011;29 Suppl 1:S29-S38.
2. Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2006 Nov;38:1918-25. Doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000233790.08788.3e
3. Phillips SM, Tang JE, Moore DR. The role of milk- and soy-based protein in support of muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein accretion in young and elderly persons. J Am Coll Nut. 2009 Aug;28:343-54.