Discovering the Link Between Menopause and Alzheimer’s with Dr. Lisa Mosconi

World-renowned neuroscientist and neuro-nutritionist Dr. Lisa Mosconi joins JJ today as they discuss a vitally important topic: women’s brain health. Women's brains age distinctly from men's, due in large part to the decline of a key brain-protective hormone: estrogen. Dr. Lisa and JJ discuss the roles of estrogen in the body and the brain, as well as the connection between menopause and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Many factors contribute to risk for Alzheimer’s, but a lot of them boil down to inflammation, and adjusting lifestyle can help reduce the risk. JJ and Dr. Lisa also discuss foods that are harmful and foods that are helpful in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.   Freebies From Today’s Episode Get Dr. Lisa’s free handout by going to jjvirgin.com/xxbrain.   Main Points From Today’s Episode Women’s brains are very different from men’s. One interesting way is that women’s brains age differently. Menopause has a huge impact on the brain. Symptoms associated with menopause don’t start in your ovaries, they start in your brain. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by many factors. Many of them can be improved by adjusting diet and lifestyle now.   Episode Play-By-Play [1:00]   Talking about women’s brains and how they differ from men’s [4:15]   How Dr. Lisa, as a neuroscientist, got involved in studying women’s brains [7:55]   How different are women’s brains from men’s and how specifically are they different? [8:55]   Men’s brains and women’s brains age differently. [9:30]   Women’s brains are really impacted by this condition that every woman goes through. [9:50]   How is it good that women’s brains are more interconnected? [11:35]  Men go through andropause, the male equivalent of menopause, but the effect on the body is very different. [13:30]  Symptoms typically associated with menopause don’t start in your ovaries, they start in your brain. [15:00]  Sex hormones aren’t related only to reproduction, they’re strongly involved with brain function. [15:20]  Estrogen serves a number of functions that have to do with energy. [16:30]  Dr. Lisa’s thoughts on bioidentical hormone replacement [17:50]  Many factors contribute to risk for Alzheimers, but a lot of them boil down to inflammation, and adjusting lifestyle can help reduce the risk. [18:30] Some other factors that increase risk [20:33] Foods that are big no-no’s for your brain health; trans fats (processed foods) are one of the worst, and particularly bad for women. [22:02] 3 key nutrients for women’s brains and some of the best places to find them [28:04] Eating this food once a week has been associated with a later onset of menopause. [29:30] You can’t unscramble an egg. Take prevention measures now to prevent Alzheimer’s later. Don’t wait too long to begin. [30:45] How you can incorporate lessons from today’s topic in your life   Mentioned in this episode: The XX Brain Subscribe to Reignite Wellness with JJ Virgin Become part of JJ’s community JJ Virgin Official Facebook page JJ Virgin on Instagram JJ Virgin on YouTube