The growth hormone BDNF helps you boost your mental power and sharpen your memory. We'll explain what Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is all about and how your brain benefits from it.
Table of contents
BDNF – a hodgepodge of letters? No! These four letters stand for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor , which influences a wide variety of functions in your brain.
BDNF not only prevents the death of existing brain cells , but also promotes the growth of new neurons and synapses , which your brain urgently needs to support cognitive function.
Low BDNF levels are often problematic and are associated with many cognitive dysfunctions , including poor neurodevelopment and learning difficulties.
BDNF is a protein from the neurotrophin group , which supports neuron production and maintenance. Although there are various neurotrophins in the brain, BDNF is the most active and universal among them.
In this article, you will learn exactly how BDNF works, what the growth factor is good for, and how you can naturally increase it.
1. What is BDNF?
BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) is an important protein that influences both brain function and the peripheral nervous system . Throughout your life, your brain changes and continues to reorganize, forming new neural connections.
Neurotrophins are chemicals that help stimulate and induce neurogenesis, the formation of neurons. BDNF is one of them. GDNF is responsible for the areas of the brain that are important for learning, memory, and higher reasoning.
GDNF stands for Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and is responsible for the survival of neurons. BDNF, on the other hand, is particularly important for your long-term memory .
It helps to support the survival of existing neurons and promotes growth, regeneration and the formation of new neurons and synapses , which is why BDNF is also considered a growth hormone in the brain .
Because neurons are responsible for transmitting signals and thus for the entire communication system in your body, BDNF is essential for your cognitive performance and optimal focus.
Take-Home Message #1: BDNF stands for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and is an essential protein in your brain. It's primarily responsible for your long-term memory and aids in the formation, growth, and survival of neurons. BDNF is therefore particularly important for your mental performance, productivity, and mental energy.
2. What happens if there is a BDNF deficiency?
BDNF is a growth booster for nerve cells in the brain—clearly, we want more of this protein! But what exactly happens when there's a BDNF deficiency or when something blocks its normal functioning? With high BDNF levels , it's easier to acquire new knowledge , retain memories, and feel happier [1].
Because less BDNF in the brain naturally leads to fewer neurons being produced and maintained, this can lead not only to memory problems but also to a variety of neurological and mental disorders. Even Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and depression are often directly linked to insufficient BDNF levels [2].
Because BDNF provides the infrastructure for effective learning, it follows that a lack of the protein leads to learning difficulties. Essentially, the protein is a mechanism for the brain to learn. It provides synapses with the necessary tools to absorb, process, remember, and contextualize information. Low BDNF levels therefore mean poorer mental performance.
However, you can increase your BDNF levels naturally and thus optimize your ability to learn and concentrate.
Take-Home Message #2: A BDNF deficiency can have serious consequences for your health, well-being, and mental performance. When your brain has to operate with lower amounts of BDNF, fewer nerve cells are produced and maintained, which impairs your memory and ability to concentrate. A balanced BDNF level is therefore particularly important for your mental performance.
3. 5 tips to increase your BDNF levels
If you want to boost your BDNF levels, there are some completely natural ways to do so. The good news: Not only will you optimize your BDNF levels , but you'll also simultaneously increase neurogenesis in your brain. We've compiled the 5 best tips for naturally increasing your BDNF levels.
1. Sun
One way to boost your BDNF levels is to get enough sunlight , which your body can convert into vitamin D. Along with a balanced diet, sunlight is the easiest way to increase vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D has a direct impact on your BDNF levels and is therefore particularly important for your memory and learning ability. The sunshine vitamin is essential for your metabolic processes.
If you give your body enough sunlight and eat a balanced and varied diet (vitamin D is found mainly in fatty fish, dairy products and eggs), this will definitely increase your BDNF levels.
In reality, however, a one-sided diet is often found, which often does not protect against vitamin D deficiency . In this case, only vitamin D supplementation can help [3].
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2. Sports
If you don't exercise much, your brain doesn't produce enough BDNF. To boost your BDNF production , you should exercise often and intensively , because the higher the intensity and the more frequent the activity, the more BDNF production increases.
When BDNF levels rise, neurogenesis is optimized , and the growth of new brain cells also increases. It's important that you exercise regularly and consistently.
Unfortunately, an intense workout at the gym isn't enough. You shouldn't think of the effects of exercise on BDNF production as an endorphin release, but rather as a protein that increases after sustained and consistent exercise.
3. Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting describes regular, temporary fasting and an optimal boost for your BDNF levels . What are the benefits of regularly skipping meals?
In addition to the fact that intermittent fasting can increase the synthesis of the protein BDNF by 400-fold, it also has considerable effects on your metabolism because your body draws on existing fat reserves.
This means you can not only increase your BDNF levels, but also put your body into ketosis , a form of metabolism in which so-called ketone bodies are formed from medium-chain fats (MCTs).
These ketones are an optimal energy source for your brain [4]. To learn more about ketosis, you can read all about how a ketogenic diet can help you perform even better in this article .
In this video, our CEO Fabian Foelsch explains exactly what intermittent fasting is all about and why he regularly abstains from food for 7 weeks.
4. Nutrition
Another way you can increase your BDNF levels is to change your diet, as your diet plays a very important role in your overall performance and health. High sugar consumption is often linked to lower BDNF levels .
It's important that you consume sufficient micronutrients and eat plenty of fresh ingredients . Plenty of vegetables , high-quality meat , healthy fats , fruit , and nuts not only strengthen your body in general, but also your brain in particular. To optimize your mental performance, the ketogenic diet or, for a more relaxed approach, the low-carb diet might be right for you.
On a low-carb diet, you avoid all unhealthy carbohydrates and eat mostly vegetables, meat, fish, and the like. The ketogenic diet is an improvement on this.
The idea is to get your body to generate its energy from fat instead of carbohydrates, which is why you eat almost entirely carbohydrate-free on this diet. The menu is all about fat, fat, fat!
5. Supplements
Various supplements to your everyday diet can support BDNF production in your brain. We've compiled the 3 best supplements for you to help boost your brain function and optimize your mental performance.
Curcumin: Curcumin can promote BDNF production in the hippocampus [5]. Information from various sensory systems converges, processes, and transmits information in the hippocampus.
Optimized BDNF production can not only contribute to faster healing in brain injuries, but also has an antidepressant effect and improves cognitive function.
Curcumin is found in turmeric, so if you regularly season your food with the yellow powder, you're doing your brain a favor. Alternatively, you can also take high-dose turmeric capsules .
Green tea: An easy way to increase BDNF levels is to regularly drink green tea or take green tea extract . The infusion of unoxidized tea leaves stimulates the production of growth hormone in the brain, thus increasing your performance and concentration.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids , which can only be naturally obtained in sufficient quantities through seafood and fish , also have a strong influence on the production of BDNF.
If you don't eat fish at least a few times a week, you may need to take Omega-3 supplements.
In particular, the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is responsible for increasing BDNF levels because it functions as a membrane building block of nerve cells in the brain.
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Take-Home Message #3: There are several ways to optimize your BDNF levels. You can change your diet, reduce your sugar intake, follow a low-carb or ketogenic diet, or even fast. Sunlight and exercise can also help boost your BDNF levels. Supplements to your regular diet can also help.
4. Why it is important to push the BDNF budget
Why should you care about your BDNF levels? It's simple! As you already know, low BDNF levels also mean lower production and supply of neurons in your brain.
Low BDNF levels are therefore associated with the development of various diseases. Almost every abnormal state of cognitive function is linked to low levels of BDNF.
BDNF has a positive effect on your cognitive functions and mental health. Growth hormone can improve both short- and long-term memory.
So, if you think your BDNF levels are too low because you have difficulty learning or often forget things, you can use one or more of the tips described above to help your brain shift into high gear in the future.
Keep in mind, however, that your BDNF levels won't increase dramatically overnight. It can take several weeks or months for a BDNF deficiency to normalize .
However, if you make an effort to permanently integrate our 5 tips for a better BDNF household into your daily routine, you will not only increase your BDNF production but also improve your overall health.
Take-Home Message #4: You should always pay close attention to your BDNF levels, because a growth hormone deficiency can lead to mental problems. BDNF has a strong influence not only on your short-term but also on your long-term memory. Only by maintaining it well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can your brain function optimally and your body perform at its best.
5. Conclusion
BDNF stands for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and is a protein involved in many neuronal processes in our body. With the help of a balanced and nutritious diet, as well as sufficient exercise and sunlight, you can avoid a BDNF deficiency and the associated mental performance slumps.
6. Sources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3293512/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3310485/
[3] http://ibimapublishing.com/articles/ENDO/2013/552758/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23852511
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28095363
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