3 Ground Breaking Studies that Will Help You Build a Better Brain and Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease with Neurophysiologist Louisa Nicola

Dhru Purohit Show

Dhru Purohit

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Alternative Health

4.7 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2025

⏱️ 98 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode is brought to you by BiOptimizers, Birch Living, and Cozy Earth. Research on brain health is continually evolving. However, what we know for sure is that doubling down on the basics, including daily habits and key supplements, can go a long way in protecting our brains as we age. It’s never too early or too late to start. Today’s guest breaks down what’s truly worth prioritizing for long-term brain health. Today on The Dhru Purohit Show, Dhru sits down with neurophysiologist Louisa Nicola to explore the latest science on brain health, Alzheimer’s disease, and the impact of creatine. Louisa breaks down current research on optimal creatine dosing and highlights the critical roles that omega-3s and vitamin D play in brain health and cognition. She also shares tips for choosing high-quality supplements, the top sources of inflammation in our modern lifestyle, and the protective power of exercise, including what’s known as bone-brain crosstalk. If you’re looking for science-backed strategies to protect your brain and prevent cognitive decline, this episode is a must-listen. Louisa Nicola is a neurophysiologist and sports scientist specializing in brain performance and human potential. She founded Neuro Athletics in 2016 to help athletes, executives, and high performers optimize brain health. With a background in neuroscience and sports science, her work focuses on cognitive training, neuroplasticity, and mental resilience. In this episode, Dhru and Louisa dive into: The latest research on creatine and its role in reducing Alzheimer’s risk (00:46) Working memory, neuroplasticity, and cognitive function (8:10) Why creatine matters and the benefits it offers (18:44) How to take creatine and avoid fake supplements online (22:29) The importance of maintaining optimal vitamin D levels (28:27) Why omega-3s are essential for preventing cognitive decline (39:59) Top sources of inflammation in modern life (50:14) Why improving air quality is critical for brain health (54:24) How exercise helps boost and maintain nitric oxide levels (1:00:01) The surprising link between leg strength and brain function and how to build it (1:11:09) What we know about bone-brain crosstalk (1:17:04) How red light therapy supports collagen and healthy aging (1:27:48) Why Dr. Louisa changed her mind about ice baths (1:30:41) The powerful role of high-quality relationships and community in brain health (1:33:29) Final thoughts and takeaways (1:36:39) Also mentioned in this episode: Substack Supp.co Reverse 20 Years of Aging-Ben Levine Study ATMO air monitor For more on Louisa, follow her on X/Twitter, Instagram, Neuro Athletes' Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, LinkedIn, or visit her Website. This episode is brought to you by BiOptimizers, Birch Living, and Cozy Earth. Go to bioptimizers.com/dhru now and enter promo code DHRU to get 15% off any order of Magenesium Breakthrough and find out this month’s gift with purchase. Get 20% off your Birch Living mattress during their Summer Sale—just head to birchliving.com/dhru today! Right now, get 40% off your Cozy Earth sheets and sleepwear. Just head over to cozyearth.com/dhru and use code DHRUP. Sign up for Dhru’s Try This Newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Louisa, welcome back to the podcast. Today, we're kicking things off by talking about brain health,
0:06.4	Alzheimer's, and creatine. Most people in the health space, a lot of the experts out there,
0:11.6	including myself, I'm not an expert, have recommended a daily dose of five grams of creatine
0:17.6	for brain health. Everybody knows that. But some groundbreaking research that you've covered in your newsletter now shows that we
0:25.8	might have gotten it completely wrong, that in fact, 10 grams a day can be dramatically
0:32.0	beneficial when it comes to boosting cognitive function.
0:35.3	And doses as high as 20 grams can even play a role
0:40.5	in helping with memory and potentially Alzheimer's disease as well.
0:45.6	So Louisa, as a neurophysiologist, talk to us about this latest cutting edge research
0:53.5	and why it's so important for people who are on a
0:56.6	mission, just like you, to improve their brain health and potentially reduce their risk of
1:01.6	Alzheimer's disease.
1:02.8	I'm so excited that we're starting with this because I put a statement out there saying
1:06.6	that I was wrong because I've also been suggesting that five grams of creatine per day is sufficient
1:12.6	enough. But we now have like groundbreaking evidence actually out of Germany, a really great
1:18.2	cohort out of Germany who did the study that showed that five grams of creatine per day saturates
1:24.3	the muscle. But in order to saturate the brain, which is where we want to get
1:28.4	the cognitive benefits, comes at at least 15 grams a day to 20 grams a day. So let's break it
1:35.2	down for a moment. Creatine is a naturally occurring molecule in the body. So we produce it
1:41.4	endogenously, right? We produce it. We don't produce enough of it.
1:46.5	And 95% of the creatine that we produce actually goes into the muscle. So 95% of it lives in the muscle.
1:54.5	5% lives in the brain. So we don't have that much. And when you look at the brain, it's around
	...

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