Keep more memories

Your memories are everything. In fact, your memories are what makes you – YOU [Click here](1770d7/ct0_0/1/ms?sid=TV2%3AHCXKDqh7H) to view this message in your browser | [Click here](1770d7/l-002e/zout?sid=TV2%3AHCXKDqh7H) to stop receiving our messages [] [] Al Sears, MD 11905 Southern Blvd. Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 [] December 11, 2023 [] Reader, Your memories are everything. In fact, your memories are what makes you – YOU. And fortunately, you don’t have to accept that you’ll lose brain function with each passing year. A breakthrough study recently published in the journal Cell Stem Cell found that your brain continues to make new neurons throughout your entire life.1 This goes against everything scientists believed for decades. When I was in medical school, it was accepted as fact that the human brain couldn’t build new neurons after the age of 13.2 But that begs the question... If we don’t lose brain cells – and can even make more as we age – why is there so much mental decline and memory loss in the elderly? It turns out that cognitive function depends on two kinds of brain cells. Neurons are only half the story. The other half of the equation is your glial cells. Of course, we’ve known about glial cells for ages. But until recently, it was believed these were just “worker” cells that existed simply to support the neurons that did all the heavy lifting we call thinking. The latest research now shows that glial cells do a lot more. These brain cells s timulate and fine-tune the actions of your neurons. This gives you a faster, more accurate brain. You get less fogginess and better concentration. For example, if you were missing a kind of glial cell called oligodendrocytes, it would take 30 times longer for messages to travel through your brain! And another kind of glial cells called astrocytes play a starring role in your long-term memory. A new study by researchers at the University of California Neurodegenerative Disease Brain Bank – one of the world’s largest collections of brain tissue from patients with early-onset or Alzheimer’s – made a startling discovery... Memory loss and other cognition problems can happen as a direct result of damaged or misshapen astrocytes.3 What that means is that holding on to healthy glial cells may be the answer to sharp thinking and clear memories at every age. I help my patients protect their brain cells – both glial and neurons – with an amino acid called acetyl-L-carnitine. Many studies show that it can prevent brain aging and slow the progress of existing brain diseases.4 ALC promotes brain health by restoring the function of nerve growth factor (NGF). NGF is a protein produced in your brain. It controls the growth and maintenance of neurons. As you get older your levels of NGF go down. Research shows that the decline in NGF leads to a major drop in the way brain cells perform. And the loss of this growth factor can lead to degenerative brain diseases.5 Acetyl-L-carnitine helps reverse this drop. At the same time, it powers the survival and growth of your brain cells. ALC also acts as an antioxidant. People who supplement with ALC have lower levels of the free-radical waste that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Many studies show that patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer’s disease significantly improved with treatment.6 Keep more memories with ALC Your levels of acetyl-L-carnitine decrease with age. That can put you at risk for brain degeneration. But you can increase levels for maximum brain protection. Here’s what I tell my patients... - Get what you can from food. Your best sources of ALC are grass-fed beef and organ meat. In fact, the name carnitine comes from carnus, the Latin word for meat. Other animal products like wild-caught fish, pastured poultry, and whole milk are also good sources. See below for a delicious New Year’s Prime Rib recipe. - Supplement to make up for what our food lacks. It’s not easy to get enough ALC from our modern food sources. I suggest taking at least 500 mg of ALC every day on an empty stomach. And be patient. Sometimes the beneficial effects don’t show up for a few weeks. - Read the label carefully. Look for a formula that contains only l-carnitine and not D, L-carnitine. D-carnitine is synthetic, and it interferes with the action of natural l-carnitine. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS --------------------------------------------------------------- References: - Boldrini M, et al. “Human hippocampal neurogenesis persists throughout aging.” Cell Stem Cell. 2018;22(4):589-599. - Sorrells SF, et al. “Human hippocampal neurogenesis drops sharply in children to undetectable levels in adults.” Nature. 2018;555:377-381. - Pinto-Duarte A, et al. “Impairments in remote memory caused by the lack of Type 2 IP 3 receptors.” Glia. 2019 Oct;67(10):1976-1989. - Arrigo A, et al. “Effects of acetyl-L-carnitine on reaction times in patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency.” Int J Clin Pharmacol Res. 1990;10(1-2):133-137. - Pennisi M, et al. “Acetyl-carnitine in dementia and other cognitive disorders: A critical update.” Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1389. - Montgomery SA, et al. “Meta-analysis of double-blind randomized controlled clinical trials of acetyl-L-carnitine versus placebo in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer’s disease.” lnt Clin Psychopharmacol. 2003; 18(2):61-71. alsearsmd@send.alsearsmd.com [Preferences | Unsubscribe](1770d7/l-002e/zout?sid=TV2%3AHCXKDqh7H) 11905 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, Florida 33411, United States