USC Center For Personalized Brain Health

09/06/2025

Ultra-processed foods can blunt satiety signals and push overeating. The fix is less industrial processing, more real food. Lose the extra calories and additives gain more fiber, more micronutrients, and more antioxidants.

🧠 Which brain-boosting swap are you trying this week?
👇 Share your favorite swaps!



Subscribe to the USC Center for Personalized Brain Health newsletter to learn more about nutrition and lifestyle for brain health and dementia prevention:
➡️ https://keck.usc.edu/cpbh/newsletter/
☎️ For Prevention Clinic appointments, please call (323) 442-6845

✅For APOE4 carriers and those with a family history of Alzheimer’s, long-term brain health is best supported by an early intervention that includes sustainable long term lifestyle changes such as a diet rich in fibers, good fats and nutrients, regular physical activity, quality sleep, and maintaining overall metabolic health.

08/29/2025

Pattern > perfection. Whether you eat plants, animals, or both, consuming ultra-processed foods is linked with disrupted appetite control and long-term metabolic and cognitive risk.

🎯Focus on the overall dietary pattern for brain health. Opt for a brain-smart plate: colorful plants (polyphenols/antioxidants), quality protein (amino acids for neurotransmitters), whole grains or starchy veg (resistant starch/soluble fiber) + healthy fats (absorption, omega-3s).

Benefits over time include steadier glucose (focus), healthier microbiome (mood & cognition), and fewer emulsifiers/sweeteners (protect gut–brain signaling).

Change is hard—one step at a time builds lasting brain resilience. 🧠💪 You got this!



Subscribe to the USC Center for Personalized Brain Health newsletter to learn more about nutrition and lifestyle for brain health and dementia prevention:

➡️ https://keck.usc.edu/cpbh/newsletter/

☎️ For Prevention Clinic appointments, please call (323) 442-6845.

✅ For APOE4 carriers and those with a family history of Alzheimer’s, long-term brain health is best supported by an early intervention that includes sustainable long term lifestyle changes—such as a diet rich in fibers, good fats and nutrients, regular physical activity, quality sleep, and maintaining overall metabolic health.

08/07/2025

✨ Science meets community.
Alzheimer’s impacts all of us — and knowledge is power.
Come hear directly from researchers & healthcare leaders at Advances in Alzheimer’s Research, a series of FREE educational events open to the public.

✅ Real answers about brain health, dementia risk, & treatments
✅ Practical info for families and caregivers
✅ A community coming together to face Alzheimer’s

📅 September 13 | 📍 Skirball Center, LA
📅 26 de septiembre |📍 Downey
📅 October 4 |📍 Carson

🎟️ Free with registration: alzheimersla.org/research

08/07/2025

🧠 Eating for brain health doesn’t have to come with a high price tag — just real food, simple ingredients.

Subscribe to the USC Center for Personalized Brain Health newsletter to learn more about nutrition and lifestyle for brain health and dementia prevention:

➡️ https://keck.usc.edu/cpbh/newsletter/

☎️ For Prevention Clinic appointments, please call (323) 442-6845.

✅For APOE4 carriers and those with a family history of Alzheimer’s, long-term brain health is best supported by an early intervention that includes sustainable long term lifestyle changes—such as a diet rich in fibers, good fats and nutrients, regular physical activity, quality sleep, and maintaining overall metabolic health.

08/07/2025

🍟 Ultra-processed foods aren’t just “bad”, they’re engineered to override your brain’s fullness signals.

In an NIH study, people ate 508 more calories/day on ultra-processed meals, without realizing it.

🧠 Emerging research links UPFs to cognitive decline, gut dysfunction, and dementia risk.

Start small:
✅ Ditch sugary drinks
✅ Swap processed meats
✅ Add fiber-rich whole foods

Your brain will thank you.

✅ For APOE4 carriers and those with a family history of Alzheimer’s, long-term brain health is best supported by an early intervention that includes sustainable long term lifestyle changes—such as a diet rich in fibers, good fats and nutrients, regular physical activity, quality sleep, and maintaining overall metabolic health.

07/31/2025

A new study links participation in the SNAP program with slower cognitive decline—underscoring how essential nutrition is for long-term brain function.

“We’ve always known that nutritional insufficiency is a major risk factor for dementia,” said Dr. Hussein Yassine of USC’s Center for Personalized Brain Health, who was not involved in the study. “But,” he added, “the new study confirms the importance of access to nutrition and foods in the aging brain.”

Read the full article here:
📰 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/well/eat/snap-cognitive-decline-study.html

A new study suggests the benefit, which is facing federal funding cuts, may be good for brain health.

07/18/2025

ICYMI: JULY CPBH NEWSLETTER
https://keck.usc.edu/cpbh/newsletter/

We explore the essential — but often misunderstood—role of vitamin D in aging, , and immune support.

Meet the scientists leading cutting-edge research on
prevention and how is changing the game.

Thank you for joining our mission to prevent before onset and preserve brain health.

For prevention clinic appointments, 323-442-6845.

07/15/2025

☀️ Vitamin D is essential—but balance is everything.
Vitamin D plays a key role in bone strength, immune defense, and brain health. But research shows more isn’t always better. Studies have shown that excessive supplementation offers no added benefit and may even pose risks. It’s important to be thoughtful about when and for whom vitamin D supplementation is truly appropriate, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all recommendations.

🎯 Assess vitamin D levels and risk factors with your provider, prioritizing whole-foods, multi-nutrient strategies as part of an overall healthy lifestyle plan. See our July Newsletter for the full article. LINK: https://keck.usc.edu/cpbh/newsletter/

06/03/2025

🧠 Alzheimer’s doesn’t start with forgetting names. It starts in the brain years before symptoms appear.

That’s why at USC Center for Personalized Brain Health, we’re not just reacting to Alzheimer’s. We’re working to get ahead of it.

From identifying APOE ε4 genetic risk our goal is simple: detect early, personalize care, and prevent decline before it starts.

✨ This June, let’s move from awareness to action. Follow us to know more !!

📞 Call (323) 442-6845 to learn more or schedule an appointment.

06/03/2025

🧠💜 June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month

At USC CPBH, we’re dedicated to advancing personalized brain health because understanding Alzheimer’s begins with early insight and action. Together, we shine a light on Alzheimer’s one insight at a time.

📍 Visit one of our Keck Prevention Clinic locations in Beverly Hills or Los Angeles to take a proactive step toward protecting your brain health.

📞 Call (323) 442-6845 to learn more or schedule an appointment.

06/03/2025

🧠 Improved test scores don’t always indicate meaningful cognitive or functional change.

Tools like the MOCA and MMSE are helpful for screening early cognitive impairment—but they weren’t designed to assess treatment response. When used as outcome measures in studies or supplement claims, they can lead to misleading conclusions.

📈 Increases in scores may reflect practice effects, not true neurological recovery or improved daily functioning.

To evaluate whether a treatment truly works, we need to go beyond test scores.

Accurate assessment requires:
✅ Comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation
🔁 Repeated testing across cognitive domains
🏠 Clear improvement in functional outcomes—the ability to manage real-world tasks
🧪 Supportive biomarkers (e.g., imaging, CSF)

Effective treatment should improve how someone lives—not just how they test.
✅ For APOE4 carriers and those with a family history of Alzheimer’s, long-term brain health is best supported by an early intervention that includes sustainable long term lifestyle changes—such as a diet rich in fibers, good fats and nutrients, regular physical activity, quality sleep, and maintaining overall metabolic health.

05/30/2025

🧠 The May 2025 edition of the USC Center for Personalized Brain Health newsletter is out now! Dive into this month’s features from the science of the MTHFR gene and folate metabolism to the role of personalized prevention in Alzheimer’s risk. Meet Nurse Practitioner Jinseo Choi and explore how our team is turning cutting-edge research into real-world impact.

It’s never too early or too late to take action for your brain health.

➡️➡️ LINK IN BIO ⬅️⬅️

📰 Subscribe to stay connected: https://keck.usc.edu/cpbh/newsletter/