The Brain Compound That Slows Aging & Makes Learning Easier at Any Age

Today we're talking about BDNF, which is basically the fountain of youth for your brain.Approx: 5 min 15 sec read time

What's BDNF?

BDNF is short for brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

BDNF has been described as "Miracle-Gro" for your brain because it's such an incredible compound.

Where does it come from?

BDNF is secreted by many structures in your brain, spinal cord, retina, kidneys, skeletal muscle, and if you're a male, the prostate.We're primarily interested in the effects BDNF has on the brain and how it functions as we age.

What does it do?

This is the exciting part!

BDNF turns back the clock for aging brains. Full stop that is a TRUE and unexaggerated statement.

BDNF turns back the clock for aging brains.

How?

As we age, our brains run less efficiently. They're unable to make new connections as quickly as they used to be able to. They don't adapt to stress as fluidly and easily as they did when we were younger, which can be incredibly frustrating!These changes can be so severe that it leads to serious disease and impairments such as Huntington's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, and Parkinson's Disease.Can you guess which compound has influences all three of those?BDNF.Ok, so if you don't have enough BDNF, it increases your chances of getting terrifying neurodegenerative diseases... noted.But what does it actually do for us?

Protection

BDNF is essential for the survival of neurons in your brain. Remember those diseases we were just talking about?BDNF helps to protect your neurons from the inflammation, trauma, and stress that causes those diseases (with the exception of Huntington's disease because it is inherited, so BDNF slows down the process rather than preventing it.)BDNF is as close as you can get to creating a bulletproof vest for your brain.

Learning/Memory

BDNF is also responsible for "axonal regulation" in other words, it organizes the growth, protection, survival, and architecture of the cells in your brain.In plain English, that means BDNF helps you maintain the ability to learn new things, remember things from the past, organize those things, and acquire new skills.That sounds a lot like keeping your brain young, active, and healthy to me.

Without BDNF, learning and adapting to new situations and acquiring skills, especially physical skills, is incredibly difficult.BDNF almost sounds like a "too good to be true" fountain of youth scenario.Don't worry!It's all true, BDNF can do ALL of those things for you, and it doesn't matter if you're 10 years old or 90. You have access to it, and it can improve the function of your brain.

How do you get it?

BDNF is released naturally by the tissues we talked about earlier, but they don't just pump it out all day because they're team players.The body doesn't work that way, it's on a budget, and it doesn't care whose team you're on.If it's not in the budget, it's not happening. BDNF is technically a protein, and proteins are expensive to produce, so you have to give your body a strong signal if you want to keep your BDNF levels high. What's the signal?EXERCISE!

Exercise is the best way to tell our bodies we need more BDNF, and if you think about it, that makes sense.If you're moving your body, you're telling it that movement is valuable. If it's valuable, it will do everything possible to save energy and maximize the value of the experience. What does it do?It releases BDNF, which makes it SIGNIFICANTLY easier to learn new movements, aka skills, AND remember them for future use, so you don't have to waste energy starting from scratch every time you start moving. Can you imagine having to relearn how to walk every morning?

It doesn't just help with learning physical things; it also helps with learning in general. BDNF is one of the reasons it's easier to learn new concepts and ideas AFTER you exercise. So if you have some cognitively difficult work on your plate, do it directly after your exercise for the day.

That's actually how I organize all of my days. Exercise first, then my most demanding tasks. What kind of exercise?All of the current research points to cardiovascular exercise. Some studies even show new neuron growth in the hippocampus, which is where memories are formed due to cardiovascular exercise. Does that mean resistance training doesn't help?Probably not. It simply means we don't have the data yet. In the meantime, 20 minutes, MINIMUM, of cardiovascular exercise DAILY is your goal to maintain peak BDNF levels. (think 20 minutes of sweating while working hard enough that it would be difficult to have a conversation.)

Bad news

While the good news is that you can always get a hit of BDNF every time you exercise, no matter what your age is, the bad news is that as you age, you'll release less BDNF.If you're overweight, regardless of age, you will also release less BDNF, and that's true for both males and females. In reality, that's not the worst news. It's not because now that you know about it, you just have to adjust your lifestyle to maintain your aerobic exercise. If it wasn't already, exercise is now one of your top priorities.

What else can you do?

Since exercise is now at the top of your list of priorities, you're setting yourself up for success but is there more you can do?Absolutely! You can stack the deck in your favor by getting your diet on point and managing your stress.

Diet

Polyphenols: Polyphenols are compounds found in foods like berries, olives, cocoa, and flaxseed and have been shown to increase BDNF levels.Omega-3s: Omega-3s on their own are incredibly important for brain health and will protect against diseases like Alzheimer's. They also help normalize BDNF levels after injury and INCREASE BDNF levels after exercise. So if you're like me and have a genetic predisposition to low BDNF, omega 3 supplementation is essential.

Turmeric (Curcumin): Curcumin helps to protect BDNF levels during chronic stress. Does that mean you can just eat a ton of turmeric or curry and not deal with your stress? No, but it does mean you can use it as a protective tool if you have a lot on your plate.

Magnesium: The relationship here isn't firmly established, but animal studies seem to point to magnesium being important for maintaining high BDNF levels. Considering how vital magnesium is for our health/sleep and that so many people are magnesium deficient, focusing on eating green leafy vegetables is likely a winning proposition.

Chronic Stress

Chronic stress and depression have both been shown to decrease BDNF levels and, in fact, often come packaged together like a gift no one wants to open. Luckily exercise also helps to combat both of these as well.But as we all know, getting out and exercising or going for a walk can help with stress and depression; it doesn't always get the job done. When that's the case, things like breathwork, meditation, and journaling can also be lifesavers. That being said, sometimes you need professional help, and that's ok.If you need help, get it as soon as possible.Your future self will thank you for your courage.

Summary

BDNF is a potent compound that plays a protective role in brain health, learning, and memory. As you age, you will release less and less of it, so it's important to maintain daily aerobic exercise because exercise is the primary way to increase your BDNF levels. Diet and stress management also play an essential role in maintaining your BDNF levels. Eat right and take care of your mental health.If you enjoyed this issue of Vitality on Tap, please share it with your friends and family or anyone you believe will find value in learning about BDNF and improving their brain health as they age. You can do so that easily by sending them THIS LINK

Here are the sources if you're feeling sciency.