Your Brain On... Vascular Dementia
Your Brain On
Most people think dementia starts with memory loss. But for millions, it actually begins decades earlier: in the blood vessels. Long before someone forgets a name or misses an appointment, the brain is being quietly damaged by high blood pressure, cholesterol imbalance, poor sleep, inflammation, and chronic stress, day after day, year after year. This kind of damage doesn't look dramatic. There's no big stroke, no clear warning sign. It happens slowly and silently, which is why it's so often missed until it's too late. But here’s the good news: vascular dementia is one of the most...
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Your Brain On... Cold Plunges
Your Brain On
Cold plunges are everywhere, and the way people talk about them, you’d think they’re a miracle cure for your brain, body, and soul. But in an age of algorithm-fueled evangelism, when a ritual becomes this ubiquitous and loud, we have to ask: how much of the buzz is backed by science… and how much is just marketing? In this episode, we explore the neuroscience of cold exposure: what’s real, what’s overstated, and why this “discomfort” has become a billion-dollar industry. We discuss: Why cold plunges went viral, and how wellness movements often devolve into identity-driven...
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Your Brain On... Cheese
Your Brain On
Around the start of 2026, a study sparked viral headlines claiming that cheese could reduce dementia risk. But... nutrition science almost never works like this. One study can’t “prove” a food is protective or harmful, and viral health claims often miss the most important details of research: how the data was gathered, what was actually measured, what variables were controlled for, and what it means in real life. In this episode, we unpack what the ‘viral cheese study’ (PMID: 41406402) actually found, what it DOESN’T mean, and why critical thinking around nutrition headlines...
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Your Brain On... Chemotherapy
Your Brain On
Chemotherapy saves lives. But for millions, it also comes with side effects of cognitive fog, memory lapses, slowed thinking, and emotional flattening. In the past, ‘chemo brain’ has sometimes been dismissed as anecdotal. But, as science has evolved, we’ve come to understand the very real shifts in attention, memory, processing speed, and emotional regulation underpinning the impairment. In this episode, we break down what’s happening in the brain during treatment, why these changes arise, and how healthier lifestyle choices can support our recovery. In this episode, we explore: •...
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Your Brain On... Parkinson’s (2025)
Your Brain On
From 18th century London to the promise of a global cure: the 200-year history of Parkinson’s disease. To mark the release of our ‘Ask the MD’ conversation with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and to welcome a new influx of listeners, we’re sharing one of our very first episodes, first aired in August 2024. Watch our full ‘Ask the MD’ interview, focused on lifestyle strategies for boosting brain health, on the foundation’s website: Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disorder most commonly characterized by tremors and other motor symptoms, is so...
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Your Brain On... Eating Meat
Your Brain On
Carnivorous diets have been woven into our history for millennia, but, with nutrition science advancing at an unprecedented pace over the past century... do we really still need to be eating meat? We live in a time of rising chronic disease, new longevity research, and a growing awareness of how our food choices shape our brain and our planet. We’re also constantly exposed to ‘nutrition tribalism’: social media communicators and influencers building identities (and livelihoods) around polarizing dietary debates. It’s a lot to navigate. So, we’re cutting straight to the data in this...
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Your Brain On... Nutrition (with Dr. Walter Willett)
Your Brain On
Everyone eats. It’s the one thing we all have in common. And yet, nutrition has become one of the most confusing, divisive, and misunderstood sciences in modern life. Low-fat. High-fat. Keto. Vegan. Paleo. Superfoods. For every study, there’s a headline that seems to say the opposite. In this episode, we turn to one of the most trusted voices in nutrition research to cut through the noise: Dr. Walter Willett, MD, DrPH. Dr. Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has spent more than four decades studying how what we eat affects our...
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Your Brain On... Autism
Your Brain On
Autism isn’t new, but our understanding of it has changed dramatically. It’s now recognized as a broad neurodevelopmental spectrum that shapes how millions of people perceive, process, and interact with the world. In this episode, we explore what autism is AND isn’t, from its earliest signs in infancy to its deep genetic roots, and why misinformation about it continues to spread. We speak with three remarkable experts leading the field in early detection, genetics, and public education: DR. AMI KLIN, PhD, Director of the Marcus Autism Center at Emory University and a pioneer in early...
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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...
info_outlineProtein — how much do we need? What’s the healthiest way to consume it? Can we get enough from plant-based diets?
Until recent decades, protein hasn’t been quite as prominent in public health discussions as sugar and fats. However, with longer lifespans emphasizing the importance of protein for long-term health, and growing confusion around the quality and quantity of protein needed, it has become a highly debated macronutrient.
In ‘Your Brain On… Protein’, we explore:
• The brain health benefits (and general health benefits) of protein
• Plant-based protein vs. meat protein, and supplements like protein powders
• How much protein we really need to eat every day
• Ways we can all introduce more protein into our diets
• Why ‘health’ influencers are suddenly recommending unusually high levels of protein consumption
• How we measure the quality of proteins, including digestibility and absorption
In this episode, we’re joined by two fantastic nutrition experts:
DR. MATTHEW NAGRA, nutritionist and science communicator.
DR. ALAN FLANAGAN, esteemed nutrition scientist (previously featured in ‘Your Brain On… Sugar’ and ‘Your Brain On… Fats’
‘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... Protein’ • SEASON 3 • EPISODE 10 (SEASON 3 FINALE!)
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LINKS:
Dr. Matt Nagra
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.matthewnagra
Website: https://drmatthewnagra.com/
Dr. Alan Flanagan
Alan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenutritionaladvocate
Alinea Nutrition: https://www.alineanutrition.com/
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REFERENCES:
Dietary Patterns and Risk of Dementia: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-015-9516-4
Dietary fat composition and dementia risk. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.03.038
Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A Review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6893534/
Animal vs Plant-Based Meat: A Hearty Debate. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38934982/
High-Protein Plant-Based Diet Versus a Protein-Matched Omnivorous Diet to Support Resistance Training Adaptations: A Comparison Between Habitual Vegans and Omnivores. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33599941/
Vegan and Omnivorous High Protein Diets Support Comparable Daily Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Rates and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Young Adults. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36822394/
Digestibility issues of vegetable versus animal proteins: protein and amino acid requirements--functional aspects. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23964409/
Soy and Isoflavone Consumption and Multiple Health Outcomes: Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Observational Studies and Randomized Trials in Humans. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201900751
No Difference Between the Effects of Supplementing With Soy Protein Versus Animal Protein on Gains in Muscle Mass and Strength in Response to Resistance Exercise. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29722584/
Neither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormones: An expanded and updated meta-analysis of clinical studies. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33383165/
The health effects of soy: A reference guide for health professionals. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9410752/
The Effect of Plant-Based Protein Ingestion on Athletic Ability in Healthy People—A Bayesian Meta-Analysis with Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/16/2748
Effects of high-quality protein supplementation on cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with metabolic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2024.06.013
Vegan and Omnivorous High Protein Diets Support Comparable Daily Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Rates and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Young Adults. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36822394/