Neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s are more common with age. But it is not simply the number of birthdays you’ve had that predict these conditions. It’s your Biological Age – the structural and functional integrity of cells, tissues, organs, and systems – that is the real cause. Overall, biological age increases over time but can differ significantly from chronological age due to genetic and many modifiable factors such as diet, exercise, sleep, stress, relations, and toxin exposure.
Two individuals can be of the same age but look and function with different degrees of youthfulness and vitality. When it comes to the brain, increased biological age manifests in reduced brain cell connections, actual loss of brain volume, and impairments in memory, attention, and reaction time. Importantly, the changes that eventually manifest in dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases actually begin in our twenties! Ideally, a proactive personalized program is instituted in youth – but it’s never too late to improve your brain health!
Discover Your Brain’s True Age with the NeuroAge Test
The NeuroAge Test combines cutting-edge brain MRI imaging, blood biomarkers, genetic analysis, and cognitive testing to give you a personalized snapshot of your brain’s health and biological age. Developed by scientists at MIT, NeuroAge helps identify early signs of accelerated brain aging and provides actionable insights to maintain cognitive health. By reducing your brain’s biological age you will dramatically reduce your risk to dementia! You can now take the NeuroAge Test through our clinic – learn more at NeuroAge Test.
The NeuroAge Test has 4 components, which can be done individually or altogether for the most comprehensive brain health assessment:
- Genetics (done just one time)
- 52 RNA blood biomarkers
- Brain MRI with 3D dashboard
- Neurogames cognitive testing to assess memory, attention, reaction time
Based on your results, you will receive personalized lifestyle recommendations. You also have the option to enroll in a NeuroAge coaching program.
For those who are very proactive and motivated, I recommend a functional medicine evaluation to get to ever-increasing root cause contributors to poor brain health, such as:
- Dysbiosis – gastrointestinal and oral
- Leaky Gut Syndrome
- Nutrient Deficiency
- Toxicity
- Hormone Imbalance
- Glucose and Insulin imbalances
- Poor Circulation, Dyslipidemia, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress
- Chronic infections
- Poor body composition (low muscle, excess fat)
To go into a little detail on one of these contributors to dementia, let’s consider toxicity, for example. We’re all exposed to environmental chemicals on a daily basis. Some toxins are fat soluble. They get stored in fat and are very slowly broken down and eliminated from the body. Other than water, the brain is predominantly composed of fat! Have salmon for dinner and the PCBs it is contaminated with will remain in your body and brain for years to decades! Toxicity is a major factor that needs to be addressed with scientific detoxification programs.
