The mindbodygreen Podcast

663: Daily choices that shape brain health in your 30s, 40s & beyond | David Perlmutter, MD

August 16, 2026·47 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

“We can choose our brain’s destiny,” says David Perlmutter, MD. Perlmutter is a Board-Certified Neurologist and six-time New York Times bestselling author whose work focuses on the intersection of neurology, nutrition, and brain health. He is on the Board of Directors of the American College of Nutrition and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. His books, including the #1 bestseller Grain Brain, has been published in 32 languages and sold over a million copies. Perlmutter lectures globally at leading institutions and has been featured on major media outlets including 20/20, CNN, The Today Show, and Oprah. His new book, Brain Defenders, focuses on the pivotal role of microglia, the brain’s immune cells, in protecting, repairing, and reprogramming the brain for lifelong resilience, and is now available for pre-order. 00:00 - Treating the symptoms, not the cause  02:37 - Microglial cells & their evil twin state  05:44 - How metabolism affects the brain  08:00 - Gut bacteria, inflammation, & brain degeneration  11:38 - Why lifestyle beats the APOE4 gene  16:25 - Perlmutter’s daily routine 23:55 - Loneliness & oxytocin  26:21 - The effects of long COVID on the brain 32:18 - Glyphosate & other environmental factors  39:20 - Reprogramming microglia & mitochondrial transplants  41:35 - Own your brain's destiny Referenced in the episode:  For more about Perlmutter, visit his website: https://drperlmutter.com/  Alzheimers & UPFs study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjpad.2024.100042  POINTER study - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2837046  20-week Alzheimer’s study:  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13195-024-01482-z  Golf course & Parkinson’s study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2833716  We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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