Harvard Anxiety Doctor: This is Killing Brain Mitochondria Faster than Anything We’ve Ever Seen

About this video

• Video Title: Harvard Anxiety Doctor: This is Killing Brain Mitochondria Faster than Anything We’ve Ever Seen
• Channel: Thomas DeLauer
• Speakers: Thomas DeLauer, Dr. Matt Bernstein
• Duration: 00:38:59

Overview

This video features a conversation between Thomas DeLauer and Dr. Matt Bernstein, a Harvard anxiety doctor. They discuss how sugar and high insulin levels negatively impact brain health by increasing oxidative stress and overwhelming mitochondria, leading to reduced energy production and brain fog. Dr. Bernstein explains the concept of brain insulin resistance, its role in mental health conditions, and how it can lead to cerebral glucose hypometabolism. They also explore potential solutions such as ketogenic diets, MCT oil, exercise, and the role of neurotransmitters like GABA and glutamate. The discussion touches on the resistance to ketogenic diets in the medical community and how they can be used adjunctively with psychiatric medications.

Key takeaways

• Sugar's Detrimental Effect: Consuming sugar, or anything that spikes insulin and blood glucose, is harmful to the brain. It increases reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress and impaired energy production in brain cells.
• Brain Insulin Resistance: Chronically high insulin levels can cause brain cells to become resistant to insulin, hindering their ability to take in glucose for fuel. This condition, known as cerebral glucose hypometabolism, leads to cells starving for energy and can contribute to mental health issues.
• Neurotransmitter Imbalance: Anxiety can be linked to an imbalance of neurotransmitters, specifically an excess of glutamate (excitatory) and a deficit of GABA (inhibitory), which can be influenced by brain energetics.
• Ketogenic Diet Benefits: Ketogenic diets can help mitigate brain insulin resistance, increase GABA, and lower glutamate, potentially improving conditions like anxiety and epilepsy. They also increase BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), promoting neuroplasticity.
• Short-Term Fixes & Solutions: Reducing sugar intake, incorporating healthy fats like MCT oil, and regular exercise are recommended strategies for improving brain health. MCT oil can provide an alternative fuel source for the brain, bypassing insulin resistance.
• Exercise and Brain Health: Exercise positively impacts the brain by increasing blood flow and stimulating the production of ketones, which in turn increases BDNF and supports neuroplasticity.
• Medical Community Resistance: There is resistance to the ketogenic diet in the medical community, partly due to it representing a different paradigm of using food as medicine, which can be perceived as a threat to existing practices and pharmaceutical industries.
• Ketones and Longevity: Ketones are viewed as molecules for survival that can strengthen cells and contribute to overall health span and longevity, particularly benefiting the brain.