Hello everyone in the codirector of the executive director at the Aspen Institute thank you for joining us today for will be a fascinating conversation and while the virus has prevented us from gathering in person we can still host informative and inspiring conversations for advocates artist and scientist and innovators im honored to be hosting this fascinating conversation about doctor mascagnis new book the x x brain and the research on womens brain health. And with her new book to reduce the risk of dementia if you dont have the book yet you are interested in buying a copy you can get and find more information i would recommend it. It is fantastic. As we grow back into this conversation, professor at neuroscience and urology and radiology at Cornell Medical College founder and director of the womens between initiative and associate director of the alzheimers prevention clinic. An adjunct faculty member at nyu school of medicine and holds a phd in science and nuclear medicine. Research is focused on the detection of alzheimers disease and average individuals especially women how memory loss can be entered in a combination of medical care and lifestyle modifications involving diet physical and intellectual fitness. Also the author of in food. Welcome, recess thank you so much. Im excited to be here today. Were also delighted to be joined by Natalie Morales the west coast anchor at the nbc today show. The host of dateline and behind closed doors. Serving as host on nbc as well as news anchor of today she joined as a National Correspondent in 2006 including nbc nightly news and msnbc. We are grateful for your reporting and we were delighted made time for this talk today but also she has a special connection to this. She has a book called simple recipes for Healthy Living and those are recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle thank you so much for being here with us today. Its my pleasure peggy thank you for the introduction. It is a wonderful topic and an opportunity for us to focus on her health especially right now. This book that you wrote is fascinating and is so important for women to understand the significance of the research for what you put out in this book so im thrilled to share this to get the message out there. Lets talk first the book is called the x x brain, talking about women and that we are two thirds more likely to end up developing alzheimers in her lifetime. Our one on womens brains are different than mens . I know men are from mars and women are from venus. [laughter] we are wired differently. The american euro scientist and i have Brain Science and urology and science so the way i have approach this working in many different ways and most clearly womens brains age differently than mens brains. So way that it is our hormones a change that is the connection that is explored much forever. It is worth talking about it. And especially for the brain. Im getting there. [laughter] at some point we all will and why that is associated with those medical conditions. And we will dive deep into all of those topics so how can i decrease my challenge chances of developing going back to what we said it is now only starting to understand that women and our hormones may be linked but yet why has gender been removed from the problem and the equation in the medical community . Personally struggled for a long time because of the women in my family started asking we can start doing brain scans and its very interesting but is a genetic or a lifestyle . So we have a huge gender gap with a brain health and still today underdiagnosed and underresearched. Because i would say three things that happen that women were actively excluded from research and 1993 especially from Clinical Trial but there was no research with women and the second thing all those medical research is just substantiated as brian that i refer to as bikini magazine what makes a woman a woman from a medical perspective is the reproductive organs. And then about womens health. And then to be underdiagnosed and my mother was diagnosed in her mid fifties going back to the question of hormones what does estrogen have to do with alzheimers its a really good question and then the better brain. And then into the reproductive system of aging of that communication between the brain and reproductive system. Milner women different between the genders what people dont realize but then in the brain so its with that energy pushing neurons to make energy. So if estrogen is high the brain energy to keep your Brain Healthy and young. But if women lose the superpowers of estrogen during menopause and thats another 30 years without the protection the estrogen provides. So how does that affect the brain as you go through menopause and started to experience a loss of estrogen . And then it makes less energy that is associated with the aging process i think a lot of women would say after menopause but the brain is starting to age. So that does not correlate women perform just as well as the men of the same age. And then to come to find out then to understand what happene happened. There is a couple of chapters in the book but a whole section and in particular and replacement therapy and i recommend people that there is a lot of different areas that you should should not in those that are there already to be asking ourselves. I want to . But there are some women and for other women it really depends on what you are trying to achieve trying to mediate what they really like to test for prevention but not in the best possible way. So we think its very important unexplored area of research. But also its interesting because pretty much of the same for many women. All that plays a part. So what is the genetic connection with my mother and mom with the onset very much about health and wellness because we know there is a risk for him. And then how to approach testing with the detail. And then with other family members. And if it is a genetic isolated case and then with the early onset to genetically determine and with genetic mutation. I hope there isnt any mutation. In 1998, 99 percent with them lifestyle and the environment. Let me ask you about that because there are some medical risk factors that can also affect with the risks of developing alzheimers and tdi, dramatic brain injury. Can you talk about that . So then those affected our brain and then to promote because they do have that component but then with the disease and just learning and all of the men and women with all of the pathways is more inflammatory these are more and women than men and its funny in a way they affect women more than men but the number one risk factor is not being married to a woman. [laughter] why is that . And with that possibility. But then to be married to a woman to be in the nurturing relationship. Entered that tradition but the point being women are really good at taking care of people. And with the health of the entire panel. This is the perfect segue so what is the single most important thing a woman can do for the post menopausal brain . Its to really look at your lifestyle and find the one part where its not where it should be. And to provide a baseline. To be intellectually stimulated and those to a very healthy significant brain especially when learning is exercising your muscle. To stimulate connection and thats a really keeps the brain plastic which means young. If you like to read a book and all read the novel with something that is challenging watch a documentary where you learn something. My mom plays Computer Games for times a week to keep your brain you are. [laughter] i know that diet how important is moderating and also what kind of foods we should be eating like the brain book diet is important for two reasons and to replenish those nutrients especially for women and we with the brain scan with the intake of antioxidants with the brain Energy Levels especially after menopause and with the energy over time. We eat three times a day and then we have Three Chances every day to make a choice with brain health so then it is so much better. And as much as i can. In the mediterranean diet which is what you write in the book is the diet that most people should follow . I think its a pretty good template it is a fresh diet with the nutrients that the brain wants and needs is not a deprivation diet. But it is a sensible diet and then to consume the diet brand the western diet and then with hundreds of times and then to go through menopause and then with the omega3 antioxidants. And then the earlier. And so that speaks through diet and something we can actively do and we have control over it exercise is an important factor so slow and steady the moderate exercise is the to go when we were going to jims to take highintensity classes but why is slow and steady a key and how much should we be getting . That translates typically only men and not women should show between intensity and game if you go for high intensity then you are increasing so then in general and any exercise is super helpful but to have a huge group of people and that i believe it is more sustainable but then to do it often enough whereas for many people is very high intensity and it is okay. Just because its trendy. Because how does poor sleep quality impact women and their brain as they age . And with that nation really shows that women pretty much at any age that seems to overlap and with the impact and so what happens and then to activate correctly will the estrogen started. Especially progesterone and have a tendency to wake up because of the first half of the night through two in the morning and in the a lot of stress which happens to a lot of women and ahead of time. I had been struggling was sleeping well with stress and anxiety more and they do feel i have to get up and go back to sleep some bleary and which i wanted to ask you whether some of the ones that you recommend to talk with your doctor that reacts well with your body some people just take a multivitamin but doesnt help measure are deficient if there is any deficiencies and then they go through very examination and to change your diet and in some cases its not enough and in that case we tend to recommend the most the omega3 guy and very fond of flaxseed oil. For those that dont eat fish that is a high concentration of omega threes one omega3 1 tablespoon is about half of all you need for the day so now i use that. Vitamin e or vitamin c . And those that have the combination of progesterone cream that really alleviates the night sweats in Clinical Trials. So the overthecounter progesterone cream . Yes its best to ask your doctor but that might help but also it stimulates blood flow and oxygen levels to the brain and then to keep energy high and then that is the precursor and the antioxidants and then with orange and yellow vegetables and fruits and the dark green leafy vegetables thats probably the best way there is so much information i encourage everyone to read it. And to talk about testing and then to study alzheimers to track the progress of the disease and is the testing accurate . You said you yourself will have a brain scan you have not done before. I am a big fan and then that is the predicted tool and then to really make sure we address our concerns but most of us to do the mri scans and then the pet scan and we look at everything and the structure of the brain and look at the shrinkage of the brain and if there is inflammation and then looking at Energy Levels and the brain we can look at toxicology so always the youngest in his forties but its good to have a strong baseline so listen to your brain now so in ten years you have some issues were some concerns because if you come to me when youre having trouble with is only so much that as you see immediately. So you have a baseline to compare it to. Yes. Its good to check or to change if its no change if there is a change we need to address the new brain so it helps a lot to have those planes as possible. There is so much information in this book it is called the x x brain and within a couple of hours i wanted to digest every bit of information. Thank you so much and to all who participated here today be sure to check out the book if you would like more information if you missed the beginning of a podcast you can see it at a future time as well upon the Aspen Institute. Have a good afternoon. Good morning hosted by the university of missouri st. Louis i direct her center for tin