BDNF a Biohackers Best Friend

Biohackers are known to exercise, meditate, and practice intermittent fasting. All of these lifestyle choices have been shown to increase BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor). BDNF is a protein that acts like Miracle-Gro for the brain. By helping neurons thrive and creating new ones we are rewarded with a better long term memory, easier acquisition of new skills and a cognitive boost. When we don’t do enough to encourage BDNF our learning slows, problems with memory occur and even depression can set in. What techniques and supplements can help us boost our BDNF? Fortunately, there have been many studies on this topic which can provide specific duration, effort and quantities to maximize BDNF production.
 
Daily activities to Increase BDNF

  1. Exercise
    1. 70-85% maximum heart rate effort for peak BDNF (aerobic) – 3x resting BDNF levels
    2. High Intensity Interval Training (anaerobic) – 3 min sprint, 2 min rest, 3 min sprint – 20% fast vocabulary learning
  2. Meditate – daily practice 45 total minutes a day has been found to be the most effective (ouch!)
  3. Dietary restriction either caloric or intermittent fasting
  4. Sleep – 7+ hours with deep sleep being of critical importance
  5. Sunlight Exposure – direct to skin when possible
  6. Socialize – Possibly the most difficult on the list. Highly stimulating and social environment had elevated neurotrophic levels.
Netherlands study of 2,851 individuals comparing BDNF to seasonal light
Foods, Vitamins and Supplements that boost BDNF

  • Avoid sugars and a high calorie diet which are believed to reduce BDNF
  • Oily fish or krill oil increase omega 3s which contain DHA
  • Turmeric contains curcumin – use black pepper or coconut oil to boost absorption
  • Blueberries contain anthocyanin and have been shown along with other flavanols to enhance spatial memory and BDNF
  • Red grapes (red wine and dark berries) contains resveratrol also sold as a supplement
  • White or green tea – contain EGCG which potentiates neuritogenic action of BDNF
  • Whole coffee fruit extract – 100mg dose increased BDNF on average of 143%

Emerging findings suggest that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serves widespread roles in regulating energy homeostasis by controlling patterns of feeding and physical activity, and by modulating glucose metabolism in peripheral tissues. BDNF mediates the beneficial effects of energetic challenges such as vigorous exercise and fasting on cognition, mood, cardiovascular function, and on peripheral metabolism. By stimulating glucose transport and mitochondrial biogenesis BDNF bolsters cellular bioenergetics and protects neurons against injury and disease. By acting in the brain and periphery, BDNF increases insulin sensitivity and parasympathetic tone. Genetic factors, a ‘couch potato’ lifestyle, and chronic stress impair BDNF signaling, and this may contribute to the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. Novel BDNF-focused interventions are being developed for obesity, diabetes, and neurological disorders.
Studies

  • Exercise promotes the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) through the action of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate.

  • Early social enrichment shapes social behavior and nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in the adult mouse brain.
  • Physical Exercise and Antidepressants Enhance BDNF Targeting in Hippocampal CA3 Dendrites: Further Evidence of a Spatial Code for BDNF Splice Variants
  • High impact running improves learning.
  • Dietary levels of pure flavonoids improve spatial memory performance and increase hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
  • Meal size and frequency affect neuronal plasticity and vulnerability to disease: cellular and molecular mechanisms.
  • Energy intake, meal frequency, and health: a neurobiological perspective.
  • Dietary levels of pure flavonoids improve spatial memory performance and increase hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
  • The Roles of BDNF in the Pathophysiology of Major Depression and in Antidepressant Treatment
  • Antidepressant-like effects of curcumin in WKY rat model of depression is associated with an increase in hippocampal BDNF
  • Green tea catechins potentiate the neuritogenic action of brain-derived neurotrophic factor: role of 67-kDa laminin receptor and hydrogen peroxide.
  • Modulatory effect of coffee fruit extract on plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in healthy subjects


Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Join Adafruit on Mastodon

Adafruit is on Mastodon, join in! adafruit.com/mastodon

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 36,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


Maker Business — “Packaging” chips in the US

Wearables — Enclosures help fight body humidity in costumes

Electronics — Transformers: More than meets the eye!

Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Silicon Labs introduces CircuitPython support, and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

Adafruit IoT Monthly — Guardian Robot, Weather-wise Umbrella Stand, and more!

Microsoft MakeCode — MakeCode Thank You!

EYE on NPI — Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — #NewProds 7/19/23 Feat. Adafruit Matrix Portal S3 CircuitPython Powered Internet Display!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !



No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.