8 Ways to Increase BDNF and Keep Your Brain From Aging

March 12, 2019 by Dave Asprey

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A protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) could be the answer to keeping you mentally switched on for life.
BDNF helps produce new brain cells and strengthen existing ones.
It also eases depression, boosts weight loss, and protects against neurodegenerative diseases.
As you get older, your levels of BDNF naturally start to fall. With a few well-placed daily habits, you can release more BDNF all the time, keeping your brain resilient and priming it to grow stronger.
Ways to increase BDNF include exercise, meditation, deep sleep, and sunlight.
Things that block BDNF include stress, sugar, and social isolation.

[/tldr]

Take a moment and imagine yourself at 80, 90, or heck, even 100. Now imagine that your brain is as sharp and your memory is as good as it is today. That’s not a pie-in-the-sky dream. A little protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) could be the answer to keeping you mentally switched on for life. High levels of BDNF rapidly rewire your brain, helping you learn faster, remember better, and age slower.

Read on to learn what BDNF is, its many benefits, and ways to increase this powerful protein.

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What is BDNF?

Think of brain-derived neurotrophic factor as fertilizer for your brain. You have billions of neurons (aka brain cells), and BDNF keeps them flourishing and strong. When you release BDNF, it flips the switch on a series of genes that grow brand-new brain cells and pathways. BDNF also strengthens the neurons you already have. Along with keeping you mentally alert and improving memory,[ref url=”https://www.pnas.org/content/105/7/2711″] high BDNF carries loads of other benefits, too.

Benefits of high BDNF

Increases brain plasticity. When your brain cells get damaged or face a stressful situation, BDNF protects them and helps them come back stronger.

Eases depression. Your neural pathways become more flexible instead of shutting down, which could explain why higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor are associated with warding off depression.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3022308/”]

Boosts weight loss. BDNF can help you lose weight. Studies show that the more overweight a person is, the lower their BDNF levels. One study suggests that, at least in mice, lowering levels of BDNF did make them more prone to obesity.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3388065/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24548578″]

Improves sleep. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor can help you sleep better by increasing your slow brain waves during your deepest stage of sleep.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3274334/”]
Protects against neurodegenerative disease. Research suggests that high BDNF may lower your risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. One study tracked a group of adults for ten years, and found that those with the highest levels of BDNF developed dementia and Alzheimer’s 50 percent less of the time than those with the lowest levels of this protein.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27701410″]

As you get older, your levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor naturally start to fall. With a few well-placed daily habits, you can set yourself up to release more BDNF all the time, keeping your brain resilient and priming it to grow stronger.

How to increase BDNF

1. Exercise

Endurance exercise releases a protein called FNDC5 (fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5. How’s that for a mouthful?). FNDC5, in turn, increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor by 200-300 percent.[ref url=”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/expphysiol.2009.048512/full”] In another study, men who cycled daily for 3 months nearly quadrupled their resting BDNF.[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254614001161″][ref url=”http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0076050″]

Strength training increases BDNF, but only for a few minutes post-workout. Opt for moderately intense cardio, like Mark Sisson recommends in this Bulletproof Radio podcast episode. Not a fan of running? Swim, cycle, do fast-paced yoga, or pick up a sport. Whatever gets your heart rate going will increase BDNF levels as well.

2. Deep sleep

You release brain-derived neurotrophic factor during the deeper stages of sleep.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25584253″] There are four sleep stages, and you cycle through them every 90 minutes or so. On average, you spend about a third to half the night in stages 3 and 4, the ones that give you deep, restorative sleep.

With a few biohacks, though, you can drop into deep sleep faster and stay there longer in each sleep cycle. That means more BDNF release and better rest in less time. Learn how to sleep better with these sleep hacks.

3. Meditation

Stress is toxic to BDNF.[ref url=”http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v16/n4/full/nrn3916.html”] No surprise, then, that meditation increases BDNF,[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24705269″] specifically strengthening areas of the brain that correlate with pain tolerance, body awareness, meta-thinking (awareness of how you think), memory, emotional control, happiness, and attention.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4104707/”]

Start by meditating for 5 minutes every morning. Some days you may quiet your mind, while other days your thoughts may run rampant. When beginning a meditation practice, don’t get too attached to the results. Consistency is more important than “getting it right.” Make it a habit with this 30-day meditation challenge for beginners.

4. Psychedelics

Both psilocybin (mushrooms) and LSD (acid) increase BDNF production and neurogenesis.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23727882″][ref url=”http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v11/n9/fig_tab/nrn2884_F1.html”][ref url=”https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jphs/91/4/91_4_267/_article”] That could explain why there are so many studies coming out about psychedelic-assisted therapy helping with depression and PTSD — perhaps the combination allows people to rapidly rewire the stubborn pathways that are causing them pain.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4104707/”]

Here’s a breakdown of several psychedelics. These psychedelics are probably illegal where you live, and they can cause psychological distress if you take them without care. Remember to always biohack responsibly.

5. Polyphenols

These antioxidants stimulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor and protect your brain from stress.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23312069″] Coffee, green tea, dark chocolate, blueberries, and colorful vegetables are all excellent polyphenol sources.

Coffee fruit extract (the red fruit surrounding coffee beans) is especially potent, and 100 mg of coffee fruit extract raised BDNF by about 140 percent in several studies.[ref url=”http://file.scirp.org/pdf/FNS_2013083011411606.pdf”][ref url=”http://www.jneurosci.org/content/30/38/12653″] The boost lasted for a few hours. Coffee fruit extract is a useful supplement to add to your brain hacking toolbox.

6. Hypoxia

Depriving your brain of oxygen for a brief period triggers instant BDNF release.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3977651/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3487856/”] You can do this any time in under two minutes with simple breathing exercises like the Wim Hof method.

7. Sunlight

Simple sun exposure increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor.[ref url=”https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/97/3/161/2544132/Sunlight-and-Reduced-Risk-of-Cancer-Is-The-Real”] It also improves mood, increases vitamin D production, and actually decreases your risk of skin cancer, provided you don’t burn yourself.[ref url=”http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0076050″] Get outside in direct sunlight for 10-20 minutes a day. Leave your sunscreen and sunglasses at home. You want the UV rays hitting photoreceptors on your skin and in your retinas.

8. Intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting — when you eat all your daily calories during a set period of time — increases your BDNF.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16011467″] In one study, mice with Huntington’s disease — a neurodegenerative disorder — who were put on an intermittent fasting diet showed a slower progression of the disease than mice fed a normal diet. The fasting mice had higher levels of BDNF, suggesting that intermittent fasting can boost production of this protein, and therefore protect against brain atrophy.[ref url=”https://www.pnas.org/content/100/5/2911″] Learn more about intermittent fasting with this beginners guide.

What blocks BDNF?

Stress. Stress is one of the biggest BDNF inhibitors.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25584253 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2694409/”] You’re constantly bombarded with work, advertisements, information, pollution, artificial lighting, and all kinds of other stimuli that tax your biology. Make it a part of your day to manage your stress.
Sugar. Eating sugar, and fructose in particular, directly curbs BDNF production in rats[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448146/”] and links to cognitive decline in humans.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11119686″] That doesn’t mean you have to cut out sweets, though. Swap sugar for one of these high-quality alternative sweeteners (not Splenda or aspartame). And if you’re struggling with sugar cravings, try taking this 30-day no sugar challenge.
Social isolation. Lack of meaningful mental stimulation leads to lower BDNF levels.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16533499″] Social isolation also contributes to depression, which decreases BDNF. Make it a point to spend time with friends regularly; the complex richness of social interaction challenges your brain and keeps it adaptable.

BDNF is one of the most powerful biological triggers for sharpening your mind. Incorporate one or several of these habits into your daily life to think faster and better. And for more brain hacks, check out this ultimate guide on keeping your brain young and strong.

Heart Rate Variability Training for Fear, Anxiety, and Focus

March 8, 2019 by Team Asprey

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Your heart doesn’t beat with perfect rhythm; there are little variations in the time between heartbeats, and how much your heartbeat varies is a good indicator of your mental and emotional state.
Heart rate variability (HRV) training teaches you to consciously control those variations in your heartbeat, as well as the emotional state and fight-or-flight response that are tied to HRV.
HRV training can help you manage fear, decrease anxiety, and improve your mental focus for sustained periods of time, all with 15-30 minutes of training a day. Read below to learn how to do HRV training.

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Did you know that your heart doesn’t have a steady beat?

The classic, rhythmically repeating thump-thump most of us think of as a heartbeat is actually inaccurate. Your heart doesn’t beat with perfect rhythm — there are minor changes from beat to beat. The difference in time between heart beats is called your heart rate variability (HRV).

“[Our heart] is being affected by our nervous system, and that neural influence provides beat-to-beat changes in rate,” says psychiatric researcher Stephen Porges in a recent Bulletproof Radio podcast episode [iTunes].

Changes in your HRV are a good predictor of your emotional and psychological states. Your HRV decreases in response to stress[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29486547″] and sadness[ref url=”https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40846-017-0238-0″], for example, and it increases when you’re happy[ref url=”https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40846-017-0238-0″].

With a little effort, you can learn to consciously control your heart rate variability, which can influence how you feel day-to-day and how you respond to stressors or negative emotions.

HRV training is a quick and inexpensive way to get more control of your emotions and increase your ability to handle scary or stressful situations. This article will cover three major benefits of heart rate variability training, as well as the tools you can use to enhance your HRV and improve your stress response, focus, and more.

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Benefits of heart rate variability training

1. HRV training controls fear

Your fight-or-flight response is your body’s solution to danger. When you pick up on a threat in your environment, your body goes on high alert — your heart starts beating faster, you pump out cortisol and adrenaline, your rational thinking declines, and your muscles tense up. You get ready to either fight the threat or flee from it.

The fight-or-flight response is what kept humans alive in the wild. It’s a useful instinct for dealing with immediate physical threats. The trouble is that your brain doesn’t do a good job of distinguishing between a real threat (say, a bear walking toward your campground) and an imagined one (messing up your words during a speech to a large group of people). Your fight-or-flight response fires up either way, and in the latter situation, it can do more harm than good.

Fortunately, you can learn to consciously control your fight-or-flight response. Heart rate variability training teaches you to control fear, and the cortisol spike and adrenaline rush that comes with it.

Your HRV decreases in response to acutely stressful situations, and the decrease seems to affect your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain that controls reasoning and clear thinking[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29486547″].

With HRV training, you can learn to consciously raise your HRV, which either prevents the dip that happens during stress or helps you recover from it much faster. In other words, you can learn to hack your fear and keep yourself balanced, even in the face of looming disaster[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6062118/”]. HRV training can help you stay calm so you perform at your best, even under pressure.

2. HRV training relieves anxiety

Heart rate variability training helps if you’re anxious, too. Anxiety is similar to fight-or-flight, but with anxiety you usually don’t take any effective action — you just sit with a feeling of dread that can grow into panic. Not surprisingly, anxiety correlates with decreased HRV[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6062118/”].

HRV training is one of the best things you can do to relieve anxiety long-term. Students preparing for a week of stressful university exams showed a marked drop in anxiety levels after five weeks of daily HRV training — and their low anxiety lasted for a full 12 weeks, even when they stopped training their HRV[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6062118/”].

In another study, young, moderate-to-severely anxious people saw a significant decrease in anxiety after just eight sessions of HRV training[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4835037/”].

HRV training can help you get control of anxiety, and its benefits seem to last long-term.

3. HRV training improves attention

You can also use heart rate variability training to upgrade your focus.

Research shows that HRV and attention are closely linked — HRV is higher during sustained periods of focus, and it drops as focus decreases[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577676/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5187380/”].

HRV training can improve your ability to focus, particularly when it comes to tasks that require sustained attention over time[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23384218″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4104929/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3577676/”].

Heart rate variability training can make you calmer under pressure, less anxious, more resilient to stress, and more focused.

How to do heart rate variability training

HRV training is simple. You use a device that measures the variation in time between your heartbeats and assigns you a score in real time — either green, yellow, or red. Green is associated with high HRV, and a state of calm focus that you want to maintain.

As you get real-time feedback on your HRV, you learn how to consciously change it. You do so by trying different things, like thinking positive thoughts, thinking negative thoughts, changing your breathing, and so on to see how your behavior affects your HRV.

With this kind of immediate feedback, you can learn very quickly what works for raising your HRV. After a couple weeks of training, getting into high HRV will become second nature. You’ll know what habits increase your HRV and you’ll be able to raise your HRV at will.

This conscious control gives you the ability to manage stress proactively and get yourself out of a fight-or-flight state.

The best HRV training tool is the Inner Balance Trainer by HeartMath. It hooks up to your phone and gives you immediate feedback in an app, so you can see your progress in real time.

Do heart rate variability training for 15-30 minutes a day. It’s a high-impact biohack that can make you a calmer, happier, more resilient person.

The Nervous System Circuitry of Safety, Sound & Gratitude – Stephen Porges #573

March 7, 2019 by Dave Asprey

9 Diet Tips from the U.S. Ski Team Chef

March 7, 2019 by Team Asprey

Whether you cook for superstar athletes or your own family, the way you eat can make or break your performance. With the right tools and techniques, though, your kitchen can help you go for gold at the dinner table and beyond.

We asked Allen Tran, dietitian and chef for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams, for his top nutrition and diet tips for amateurs and experts alike. Plus, how you can use food to fuel your goals.

Download the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap: Your one-stop resource for foods that fuel your brain and body

1. New in the kitchen? Master the basics

If you’re new to healthy cooking, take it slow. “Pick three different meals in three different styles of cuisine, and master them,” Tran says. “I usually recommend one Italian dish, one Asian or Mexican dish, and one American dish and just cooking those over and over again until it becomes second nature.”

Try simple dishes like spaghetti squash with meat sauce, slow cooker Mexican beef, or easy baked salmon to get comfortable in the kitchen.

2. Go for freshness — but stock up on essentials, too

“A lot of what I do on the road revolves around cooking with local ingredients, knowing what’s fresh, high-quality and in-season at the market, and building my menu around that,” Tran says.

Choosing high-quality food not only reduces your exposure to toxins like mold — it also just tastes better, too.

If you eat on the road like Chef Tran, come prepared. “If I have a specific dish in mind, I also need to bring from home ingredients I can’t find locally,” he says. “Our athletes love hot sauce, so I often need to bring a couple kinds with me to places that don’t traditionally eat spicy foods, like Russia or Austria.”

3. Let your favorite foods inspire you

You don’t have to live on salads or sacrifice dessert to ramp up your performance — just take a different approach to your favorite dishes, says Tran.

“I like to take comfort foods and foods that people typically crave and adapt them into healthy dishes,” he says. “It’s a great way to satisfy a craving without compromising your health or performance goals.” Translation: With the right ingredients, you can still enjoy everything from pasta to cookies without running your diet off the rails.

4. Sharpen your skills with the right tools

Save time (and a trip to the ER) and stock your kitchen with the right utensils — especially sharpened knives.

“Having a sharp knife is necessary for nearly every meal and makes your life a lot easier when you’re prepping vegetables and meats,” says Tran. “It takes less effort to cut with a sharp knife, and you can trust that it will cut where you want instead of slipping around.” Another tip? “Put a wet paper towel under your cutting board to keep it from slipping around. It can save you a lot of time.”

5. Prep food like a professional

No need to use fancy cooking gadgets or techniques: Just get organized!

“Follow the first rule of the professional kitchen: mise en place,” says Tran. “It’s French, but all that means is having all your ingredients set out and ready to go for your recipe. Think about a stir fry. If you have all your veggies and meats cut, plus sauce measured and ready to pour, you can quickly add everything together in the pan and get great results without running around the kitchen if you happen to forget an ingredient.”

6. Boost recipes with quick ingredient swaps

Just one trade can overhaul the nutrients in your dish. Switch pasta with zucchini noodles, trade vegetable oil for grass-fed ghee, sneak cauliflower into your alfredo sauce — or as Tran suggests, add collagen to hot recipes.

“Look for ingredient swaps that don’t really change the flavor, but greatly boost the nutrient value,” he says. “Grass-fed collagen protein is a great protein source for joints as well as skin and nail health, and you can add a scoop per serving in a crock pot soup or stew, all the while making the texture richer and silkier.”

7. For the best nutritional punch, watch your macros

The three macros (protein, carbs and fat) make up the basic nutrition in foods and help you create energy. According to Tran, tracking macros can help even non-athletes improve their performance — especially after a hard workout.

“The most important meal is not really breakfast, but rather the post-workout meal,” he says. “Make sure you have protein after your workout to rebuild muscles, and carbs to refuel your energy stores.”

Try it yourself with this protein-packed sweet potato smoothie.

8. Don’t just change what you eat — change how you eat it

The way you cook can help reduce toxins in your food and make nutrients more accessible, all while making dishes more flavorful.

“Try roasting and seasoning vegetables or caramelizing your onions,” Tran suggests. You can add a lot of flavor that way without adding ingredients.”

9. Use nutrition to feed your health goals

Want to use your diet to perform better? Tran suggests thinking about the end result you want to achieve.

“You need fast-burning carbs for long runs and protein to feed muscles after weight training. If you want to perform better at work, you need foods that will keep your energy consistent for hours. Bulletproof Coffee is one of the best fuel sources you can choose, since it has a combo of slow-burning fats and energizing caffeine.”

Is Fibromyalgia an Autoimmune Disease, and Can Diet Help?

March 6, 2019 by Team Asprey

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Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disease that’s miserable to have. It’s also a bucket diagnosis — there’s no test for fibromyalgia, and often patients with depression, anxiety and chronic pain will get a fibromyalgia diagnosis when doctors don’t know what else to do.
Fibromyalgia is not currently classified as an autoimmune disease, but people who treat it as such have a lot of success. Changing your diet to manage inflammation and balance hormones can help ease fibromyalgia.
This article talks about how a high-fat, low-carb, anti-inflammatory diet can decrease pain and manage symptoms of fibromyalgia.

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Fibromyalgia is an unusual illness. It’s reasonably common — several million cases a year — and, according to most doctors, it’s incurable. The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are chronic pain and fatigue, depression, anxiety, migraines, and brain fog.

What makes fibromyalgia strange is the variety of things that seem to cause it. Researchers have been debating the cause of fibromyalgia for years. While there’s no clear biological reason for the pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia, more and more researchers suspect it could be an autoimmune issue[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15082086″]. The traditional treatment for fibromyalgia is drug-based: a combination of opiate painkillers, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. But there’s also a great deal you can do with diet to manage fibromyalgia symptoms.

Download the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap to learn what and how much to eat

Fibromyalgia and autoimmune disease

Fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases share symptoms, as well as a lot of the same triggers:

Genetics. Some people seem to be genetically predisposed to fibromyalgia[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1779444/”].
Stress and trauma. Chronic stress can set off fibromyalgia, as can psychological trauma. If you had a traumatic childhood or have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you’re at much greater risk for fibromyalgia[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894419/”]
Obesity. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of fibromyalgia as well[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22760458″].
Poor sleep. Low-quality sleep is a risk factor for fibromyalgia[ref url=”https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/1860480″]. Sleep deprivation triggers neuropathic muscle pain (similar to fibromyalgia) in healthy young adults; increasing sleep quality gets rid of the pain[ref url=”https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00006842-197601000-00006″].
Gluten sensitivity. A lot of people are sensitive to gluten, but not at a level that counts as celiac disease. If you’re gluten-sensitive, you have a higher risk of fibromyalgia[ref url=”http://www.aulamedica.es/nh/pdf/7866.pdf”].

Fibromyalgia and diet

If you have fibromyalgia, use the following nutritional changes to help manage your symptoms.

Go gluten-free for fibromyalgia

Even if you don’t have celiac disease, you could be sensitive to gluten. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a common trigger for fibromyalgia[ref url=”http://www.aulamedica.es/nh/pdf/7866.pdf”].

If you don’t have a severe reaction to gluten, it can be easy to miss non-celiac gluten sensitivity — but sensitivity to gluten is fairly common[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30009718″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28810029″], and eating it could be quietly sapping your energy and causing background inflammation, which can contribute to fibromyalgia. There are a variety of other reasons to avoid gluten and grains, too.

Try cutting gluten out of your diet and see how you feel. You may notice a major difference.

Eat more fat (especially omega-3s)

A high-fat, low-carb diet can help you minimize a lot of the more severe symptoms of fibromyalgia.

People with chronic pain showed a significant decrease in brain hyperexcitability and reported less pain after switching to a ketogenic diet[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24930805″]. Eating keto also treats a variety of neurological disorders by normalizing brain activity[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22509165″].
A keto diet decreases inflammation and eases joint and muscle pain[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5981249/”].
Keto enhances cognitive function, which could help with the brain fog common in fibromyalgia[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27568199″].
High-fat diets are great for weight loss[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/”], and losing weight significantly reduced pain and depression in overweight people with fibromyalgia[ref url=”https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10067-012-2053-x”].

Eating a ketogenic diet or a variation of it (like cyclical keto) could help you with fibromyalgia.

And while you’re eating more fat, make sure you double down on omega-3s from wild-caught fish like salmon and sardines. Several small studies have found that omega-3s decrease neuropathic pain[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20090445″], including pain from fibromyalgia[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10919346″], and a robust collection of research shows that omega-3s are great for decreasing inflammatory pain[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030645/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17335973″].

Lectins and fibromyalgia

Cutting lectins out of your diet may also help with fibromyalgia.

Lectins are proteins found in beans, lentils, peanuts, wheat and other grains, and nightshade vegetables like peppers, eggplant, and potatoes.

If you’re sensitive to lectins (a lot of people are), eating them can cause widespread, low-grade inflammation and pain[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115436/”], as well as arthritis[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115436/”]. Lectins can also contribute to autoimmune diseases, and removing them from diet relieves autoimmune issues in many patients[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25599185″].

That said, lectin sensitivity varies a lot from person to person. You may be able to eat lectins without a problem. The best way to find out is by removing lectins from your diet for a month and seeing how you feel. You can also test your C-reactive protein (CRP) levels before and after the month to see if your inflammation goes down.

The big lectin-containing foods you’ll want to avoid are:

Grains (especially whole grains)
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Beans
Soy
Peanuts
Lentils
Peppers
Eggplant
Chickpeas
Milk and cream

If you have fibromyalgia, changing your diet can make a huge difference in your symptoms and how you perform day-to-day. If you aren’t sure where to start, the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap is a simple (and free) guide to which foods you should eat and which foods you should avoid.

Harnessing Autonomic Arousal to Think & Do Better – Andrew Huberman

March 5, 2019 by Dave Asprey

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8 Ways to Increase BDNF and Keep Your Brain From Aging

What is BDNF?

Benefits of high BDNF

How to increase BDNF

1. Exercise

2. Deep sleep

3. Meditation

4. Psychedelics

5. Polyphenols

6. Hypoxia

7. Sunlight

8. Intermittent fasting

What blocks BDNF?

Benefits of heart rate variability training

1. HRV training controls fear

2. HRV training relieves anxiety

3. HRV training improves attention

How to do heart rate variability training

1. New in the kitchen? Master the basics

2. Go for freshness — but stock up on essentials, too

3. Let your favorite foods inspire you

4. Sharpen your skills with the right tools

5. Prep food like a professional

6. Boost recipes with quick ingredient swaps

7. For the best nutritional punch, watch your macros

8. Don’t just change what you eat — change how you eat it

9. Use nutrition to feed your health goals

Fibromyalgia and autoimmune disease

Fibromyalgia and diet

Go gluten-free for fibromyalgia

Eat more fat (especially omega-3s)

Lectins and fibromyalgia

Get on “The Inside Track” with Dave

See What Trouble Dave’s Getting Into on Social

Start hacking your way to better than standard performance and results.

Get on
“The Inside Track”
with Dave