106: The 11 Factors That Sabotage Your Mind and Hurt Your Brain | Daniel Amen, MD

On average, in 1900, Americans got 9 hours of sleep at night. Now, we get 6 hours and 40 minutes on average. You cannot go through that kind of change in such a short evolutionary period without it having a dramatic negative effect on mood, focus, and cognition.

Since 1999, cancer has declined 27%. Suicide has gone up 33%. If you understand the statistics, the outcomes in psychiatry are no better than they were in the 1950s.

Why does my wife, who's a nurse, put alcohol on your skin before she gives you a shot? Because it kills the bugs. Well, how many bugs do you have in your gut? A hundred trillion. Is it really a good idea to put poison down your intestinal tract?

The idea that marijuana is innocuous is just wrong. For example, teenagers who smoke have a 450% increased risk of psychosis and a higher incidence of anxiety, depression, and suicide in their 20s.

50% of the population is diabetic or prediabetic. 72% of Americans are overweight. 40% of us are obese.

I hate the term 'mental illness.' I've hated it ever since I decided to be a psychiatrist. I think it is wrong, it's shaming, it's stigmatizing, and it causes people to not want to get help.

Being dehydrated by just 2% decreases cognitive ability.

According to a study from Johns Hopkins, people who drink every day have smaller brains. And when it comes to the brain, size matters.

If you said, 'Hey Daniel, what's the single most important thing you've learned from 160,000 [brain] scans?' Mild traumatic brain injury is a major cause of psychiatric problems.

B6, B12, and folate have been shown to decrease the conversion of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease.

I published a study on a thousand marijuana smokers—every area of their brains was lower in blood flow.

Low blood flow is actually the number one brain imaging predictor of Alzheimer's disease. But it's also associated with ADHD, schizophrenia, and depression.

Beets increase blood flow. Rosemary, oregano, garlic, cayenne pepper all increase blood flow to the brain.

If your gut is unhealthy, if you're low in omega-3 fatty acids, if you have a processed food diet, you're more likely to be inflamed, and inflammation is associated with both depression and dementia.

For the same amount of calories consumed and energy burned, a person in 2006 would weigh 10% more than a person in 1988.

Genes load the gun; it's what happens to us that pulls the trigger. Genes are not a death sentence; what they should be is a wake-up call.

60% of people who have a heart attack will develop a major depression in the next 18 months.

Nicotine and caffeine both constrict blood flow to the brain.