Day 28 - Happy Hormones: BDNF

This is Day 28 for a series of talks called “Happy Hormones: A 30-Day Gut Reset For Women”. If you have yet to start from Day 1, I suggest you do so to optimize your success and knowledge. A 30-day journey to improve brain clarity, gain more energy, prevent disease, and balance a healthy weight for women by balancing their hormones. Today, we discuss BDNF, which plays a role in regulating appetite and energy balance.

Disclaimer: Please remember that the suggested materials are only for educational and informational purposes. However, this does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, please understand that you should always consult a physician or other healthcare professional.

Transcript

Welcome back!

My name is Samantha Linden,

Also known as the Blissful Soul.

This is our series,

Happy Hormones,

A 30-day gut reset for women.

If you haven't started from day one yet,

I highly recommend doing so to maximize your success and understanding.

Today,

I want to talk about another fascinating area.

The BDNF gene,

Located on chromosome 11,

Makes a protein called BDNF.

BDNF stands for brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

This protein is crucial for brain health,

Helping create new brain cells,

Change the brain structure,

And protect nerves.

BDNF also plays a role in regulating appetite and energy balance.

It's mainly found in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex,

Two brain regions important for memory and learning.

Studies on mice with altered BDNF levels have shown links to obesity and metabolic problems.

We still have more to learn,

As research on animals has produced mixed results on how fasting affects BDNF levels in different parts of the brain.

Some studies have found changes in BDNF levels during fasting,

While others have not.

Human studies conducted during Ramadan fasting also showed conflicting results regarding BDNF levels in blood samples.

Factors like the type of fasting,

When the blood sample was taken,

And whether the sample was serum or plasma can affect BDNF levels.

While fasting might not be the answer to increasing your BDNF,

Quite a few studies have shown that exercise can help,

So it is worth moving your body.

If we have learned anything,

There is no golden ticket to health,

So incorporating multiple approaches can help you long-term.

As we have been learning,

Fasting can be helpful for our hormones during certain phases of our cycle,

But we do not want to overdo it either.

With that said,

Let's not forget about sleep either.

This is a top priority,

So we will discuss it tomorrow.

So I will see you tomorrow,

My friend,

As we touch on some key points about sleep.

We will chat soon.