Your Brain On... Diabetes
Your Brain On
Behind the staggering statistics on global diabetes prevalence are millions of individuals with different stories, struggles, and solutions. In this episode, we explore how diabetes affects your brain, body, and cognition, and how it can be prevented, managed, and (in many cases) reversed. We share some powerful personal stories from the clinic, bust some persistent food myths, and learn why diabetes is as much a neurological emergency as a metabolic one. Plus, we speak to three leading experts who are changing the way we treat diabetes: BRENDA DAVIS, RD: renowned dietitian and global...
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Your Brain On... Alzheimer’s (Mythbusting Special)
Your Brain On
Alzheimer’s disease is constantly surrounded by myths and misinformation. Let’s set the record straight. In this episode, we bust through the most persistent Alzheimer’s myths, with facts based on decades of clinical experience and cutting-edge research. Myths include: • “Alzheimer’s is inevitable in old age” • “It’s all genetic, and there’s nothing you can do” • “There’s no cure, so diagnosis is useless” • “Supplements and vitamins can prevent or cure Alzheimer’s” • “Statins and vaccines cause Alzheimer’s” Plus many others. We also share our...
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Your Brain On... Purpose (Sherzai Family Special)
Your Brain On
With big changes happening in the Sherzai family household, we sat down for a roundtable discussion about the concept that will shape what we’re all doing next: our purpose. In this ‘unplugged’ mid-season chat, we’re joined by our kids — Sophia and Alex! — for a wide-ranging conversation about our values and goals. How they form, how they falter, and how they evolve, in an increasingly noisy world. Together, we discuss: • The neurological and evolutionary importance of purpose • How a firm sense of purpose can help us develop better habits • The difference between...
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Your Brain On... Creatine
Your Brain On
Creatine for Alzheimer’s — let’s separate the hype from the hope. A new study has caused a stir in June 2025, but lead researcher Matthew K. Taylor told us: “ I don’t think I can recommend it to a patient that this is going to ultimately have some sort of cognitive influence.” We speak to Dr. Taylor and Dr. Russell Swerdlow in this episode, discussing: • Role of creatine in your brain, and why it matters for energy metabolism • What the 2025 study found (and why it wasn’t designed to prove effectiveness) • How scientific nuance gets lost in supplement hype • Why even...
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Your Brain On... Stress
Your Brain On
Stress isn’t just a threat to your brain. It’s also one of its best tools for growth. We often hear that stress is bad for your brain. And it can be. Chronic, unpredictable, and uncontrollable stress can damage cognition, harm memory, and accelerate aging. But we don’t talk enough about how the right kind of stress can actually improve brain function, grow your hippocampus, and help you feel happier and more purposeful. In this episode of Your Brain On..., we explore the science of stress with two brilliant guests: Dr. Sharon Bergquist, Yale- and Harvard-trained internal medicine...
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Your Brain On... Stroke
Your Brain On
Stroke is one of the biggest causes of death in the world — but also one of the most preventable. Up to 80–90% of strokes could be avoided with more awareness, resources, and a firmer focus on prevention over intervention. In this episode, we’re joined by renowned stroke neurologist and public health pioneer Dr. Olajide Williams, MD, MS, whose ‘Hip-Hop Stroke’ movement is a shining example of enacting culturally-sensitive community-wide healthcare change. In this episode, we discuss: • What actually causes a stroke (and how to spot one in seconds using the ‘act FAST’ acronym)...
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Your Brain On... The Food Industry
Your Brain On
How can we eat better when we’re constantly marketed to in a way that hijacks our attention and habits? To complement the incredible discussions we regularly have about brain-healthy nutrition, in this episode, we’ve having a very important conversation about how the food industry works against our best intentions, and how we can break through the psychological barriers they use to hold us back. We’re joined by Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University, whose name is practically synonymous with food policy: a pioneering...
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Your Brain On... Lyme Disease
Your Brain On
A tiny bite from a tiny tick can trigger a complex disease which speaks to some huge problems with our healthcare system. In this episode, we explain the biology, controversy, and cultural blind spots around Lyme disease, a condition that reflects much more than just a bacterial infection. It’s also a mirror for our most urgent public health issues: inequality, misinformation, climate change, and the growing mistrust of science. We speak with two world-class experts: • Dr. John Aucott: Director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center and leading voice on...
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Your Brain On... Brain-Computer Interfaces
Your Brain On
Restoring a person’s ability to speak, enabling individuals with paralysis to regain movement, and detecting neurodegenerative diseases earlier than ever — these are just some of the breakthroughs brain-computer interfaces are making possible. In this episode, we explore the astonishing world of BCIs: technologies that are giving autonomy and independence back to people with diseases like ALS. We discuss: • How BCIs are helping people with neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries communicate using decoded brain signals • How brain-computer interfaces actually work (and...
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Your Brain On... Gluten
Your Brain On
Gluten has become one of the most misunderstood aspects of modern nutrition. Let’s set the record straight. In this episode, we untangle the medical, neurological, and cultural narratives surrounding gluten, from celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity to real (and rare) cases of gluten-induced brain dysfunction. We discuss: • The differences between celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and wheat allergy • How gluten affects the gut, and what ‘leaky gut’ really means • Whether gluten can trigger neurological symptoms like ataxia and brain fog • Why cutting out gluten...
info_outlineWhat does the most-purchased beverage in the world — coffee — do to your brain?
Five centuries after its discovery, coffee is deeply entrenched in our diets on a global scale. More than half the U.S. population drinks coffee daily. We wake up with coffee, and catch up with friends over coffee. Historically, coffee has been heralded as an inspiring muse.
But many headlines have warned us about the adverse effects of coffee. Is there truth in the supposed risks, or can we keep sipping away without a worry?
In this episode of ‘Your Brain On...’, we discuss:
• What caffeine does to your brain, and why it makes you feel awake
• How much coffee is too much, and how caffeine affects us all differently (depending on our metabolism)
• The antioxidant benefits of coffee
• How coffee can improve concentration, and even potentially protect against neurodegenerative diseases
• How different kinds of coffee affect our brains differently (black vs. cream and sugar, brewed vs. filter, caffeinated vs. decaf)
• The risks of caffeine addiction
• A brief history of how coffee became so ubiquitous in our lives
Bringing the buzz to this episode are two coffee geniuses:
DR. ASTRID NEHLIG, a neuroscientist out of the French Institute of Health and Medical Research who has studied the health impacts of coffee with impressive extensiveness.
PROFESSOR JONATHAN MORRIS, AKA ‘The Coffee Historian’, author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’ and co-creator of the History of Coffee Podcast.
‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.
Drs. Ayesha and Dean are now welcoming patients via the Brain Health Institute: https://brainhealthinstitute.com/
‘Your Brain On... Coffee’ • SEASON 3 • EPISODE 7
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LINKS
Dr. Astrid Nehlig’s research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Astrid-Nehlig
Professor Jonathan Morris’ website: https://thecoffeehistorian.com/
Professor Morris at the University of Hertfordshire: https://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/en/persons/jonathan-morris
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