When it comes to taking control of our health, embracing a comprehensive view and long-term focus is paramount. Looking towards our future, and reflecting on our family history, neurodegenerative diseases can be a significant cause for concern for many of us. In Episode #263, the exceptional Drs Ayesha and Dean Sherzai return to The Proof, delving deeper into the complex world of neurodegenerative diseases.
“The most difficult thing to change is our habits… they’re created around our psychological flaws. They’re sticky. In order to change behaviour, you really have to make it your identity.” – Dr Dean Sherzai
Dr Dean Sherzai is a behavioural neurologist and neuroscientist who has dedicated his life to behavioural change models at the community and population levels. Dr Ayesha Sherzai is a distinguished vascular neurologist and research scientist focused on empowering her patients and their communities. Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai are the authors of two best-selling books, The Alzheimer’s Solution (2017, HarperCollins) and The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution (2021, HarperCollins). They are currently leading the largest community-based brain health initiative in the country.
“Just because we don’t see a signal during midlife about something, or if people feel fine, doesn’t necessarily mean that we don’t lay the foundation of disease during that period.” – Dr Ayesha Sherzai
As outstanding science communicators and The Proof favourite, Drs Ayesha and Dean Sherzai provide a direct and accessible avenue into an array of highly complex topics. In this episode, you’ll learn about the current consensus on the causes behind Alzheimer’s dementia and discover the truth behind the recent amyloid plaque controversy. You will also gain insight into other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, ALS and MND, and multiple sclerosis.
As well as explaining the current scientific evidence behind these topics, Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai break down several lifestyle tips you can implement to help promote long-term brain health. We also assess the future of the medical field as machine learning and artificial intelligence rapidly become a more dominant part of scientific research and unpack a variety of myths about specific foods and brain health.
Specifically, we discuss:
- Intro (00:00)
- Drs. Ayesha and Dean play True or False (04:11)
- Is amyloid plaque the primary cause of Alzheimer’s? (05:47)
- Whole grains, gluten, and brain health (07:11)
- Artificial intelligence for Alzheimer’s disease (14:11)
- Drs. Ayesha and Dean on Melbourne (17:11)
- Is olive oil good for brain health? (20:13)
- What’s the beef with red meat? (24:32)
- Keeping the brain healthy with omega 3 fatty acids (35:25)
- APOE4 and omega 3 supplementation (48:27)
- Cognitive changes in midlife (54:47)
- Reaction to Dr. Michael Klapper’s U-turn on omega 3 supplementation (59:10)
- Facts on choline (1:02:15)
- Understanding neurodegenerative diseases (1:07:34)
- Inheriting frontotemporal dementia: what are your chances? (1:17:40)
- Lifestyle vs. genetics: debunking myths about dementia risk (1:20:21)
- Healthy habits for a healthy brain (1:27:56)
- Close relationships & cognitive resilience prevent dementia (1:36:36)
- Understanding amyloid plaques and Alzheimer’s progression (1:49:50)
- Amyloid hypothesis under scrutiny (1:59:28)
- Biomarkers and cutting-edge techniques for Alzheimer’s detection (2:06:08)
- How to prevent cognitive decline (2:20:49)
- Homocysteine, CRISPR, and the future of personalized medicine (2:23:20)
- Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease (2:29:12)
- Depression and anxiety (2:44:36)
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) & Guillain-Barré (2:50:00)
- Unpacking Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (2:55:146)
- Outro (3:05:30)
This three-hour conversation is an inspiring and empowering evaluation of what we know about neurodegenerative diseases and how we can prevent them. I’m sure you will appreciate Dr Dean Sherzai and Dr Ayesha Sherzai’s nuanced, evidence-based approach to this significant topic, and I hope you take away some valuable information you can implement into your own life.
To connect with Drs Ayesha and Dean Sherzai, you can find them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. You can also visit their website, https://thebraindocs.com/, to discover brain health resources and subscribe to their newsletter, a weekly collection of the best evidence on brain health. Make sure to check out their podcast, The Brain Health Revolution, for more audio deep dives.
If you haven’t already, make sure to listen to Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai’s past episodes on The Proof, where we delve into a variety of brain health topics. Find the full catalogue here.
The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends.
Enjoy, friends.
Simon
More about Dr Dean Sherzai
Dr. Dean Sherzai is a behavioural neurologist / neuroscientist whose entire life has been dedicated to behavioural change models at the community and population level. Dean finished his medical and neurology residencies at Georgetown University with a subsequent fellowship in neurodegenerative diseases at the National Institutes of Health, followed by a second fellowship in Dementia and Geriatrics at the University of California, San Diego. He also holds two master’s degrees in Advanced Sciences at UCSD and in Epidemiology from Loma Linda University. He has received a PhD in Healthcare leadership focused on community empowerment from Loma Linda/Andrews University. Finally, he completed the executive leadership program at Harvard Business School. His vision has always been to revolutionise healthcare by empowering communities to take control of their own health.
More about Dr Ayesha Sherzai
Dr. Ayesha Z. Sherzai is a vascular neurologist and a research scientist.
After completing her residency, she completed a fellowship in vascular neurology and Epidemiology at Columbia University Neurological Institute of New York. Dr. Sherzai is at the tail end of a master’s degree in public health in lifestyle epidemiology from Loma Linda University. Knowing the importance of empowering her patients, and their communities, she completed an extensive culinary training program in New York and now teaches large populations how to make tasty, easy, and healthy meals for their brain health.
They are the authors of two best-selling books, The Alzheimer’s Solution (2017, HarperCollins) and The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution (2021, HarperCollins). They are currently leading the largest community-based brain health initiative in the country.
Supporting studies
- Fatty acid transport into the brain: of fatty acid fables and lipid tails • PMID: 21816594
- APOE alleles and diet in brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease • PMID: 32587511
- Brain delivery of supplemental docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial • PMID: 32690472
- Twenty-year trajectories of cardio-metabolic factors among people with type 2 diabetes by dementia status in England: a retrospective cohort study • PMID: 36869989
- Nutrition state of science and dementia prevention: recommendations of the Nutrition for Dementia Prevention Working Group • PMID: 35821792
- The EAT–Lancet reference diet and cognitive function across the life course • PMID: 36087605
- MIND diet slows cognitive decline with aging • PMID: 26086182
- MIND diet associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease • PMID: 25681666
- Association of the MIND diet with cognition and risk of Alzheimer’s disease • PMID: 27145102
- MIND diet, common brain pathologies, and cognition in community-dwelling older adults • PMID: 34334393
- Lifestyle Intervention and Alzheimer Disease • PMID: 35389852
- Gut dysbiosis, insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s disease: review of a novel approach to neurodegeneration • PMID: 34256527
- Preventing Alzheimer’s: Our most urgent health care priority • PMID: 31523210
- Insulin resistance and cognitive test performance in elderly adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey • PMID: 29627040
- Micronutrients and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease A Systematic Review • PMID: 28138496
- The Association Between Diabetes and Dementia Among Elderly Individuals A Nationwide Inpatient Sample Analysis • PMID: 26862150
- Time trends and characteristics of prevalent dementia among patients hospitalized for stroke in the United States • PMID: 29550172
- A Systematic Review of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Consumption and Cognitive Outcomes in Neurodevelopment
- A Systematic Review of Omega-3 Consumption and Neuroprotective Cognitive Outcomes
