HEALTH NEWS

Memory and Cognitive Longevity: Astrocytes

By Dr. Linda J. Dobberstein, DC, Board Certified in Clinical Nutrition

October 20, 2025

Do you remember what you ate for breakfast yesterday? Or your grocery list? How about the birthdays of family and dear friends? If you find it harder to recall these details and other elements of daily life, you are not alone. Cognitive changes and reduced brain resiliency have become a global concern for several reasons.

Memory health throughout life depends on healthy choices and factors within your control. Empowering yourself with knowledge and implementing key habits today make a meaningful difference for your memory and cognitive health tomorrow!

A Profound Orchestration of Activities for Brain Health

Memory, cognitive and other brain functions depend on the healthy coordinated activities between nerves, blood vessels, immune and glial cells, and other cell types in the central nervous system. Glial cells such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglial cells perform countless highly specialized roles. These housekeeping neuroimmune cells deeply impact the inner workings of your central nervous system directly influencing your lifelong memory and cognitive longevity and resiliency. The amount of work they perform each day, and over a lifetime, is profound, surpassing the capacity of the most advanced supercomputers and AI systems.

Astrocytes: Critical for Memory and Cognitive Longevity

Astrocytes make up approximately 25% of brain volume. These star-shaped nerve cells relay neurochemical signals in milliseconds to seconds and much longer durations throughout the central nervous system for short- and long-term memory encodement and are related with emotion and cognitive functions too. Unlike neurons, astrocytes are unique in that they do not conduct electrical signals. Instead, they regulate and use and manage neurochemicals for communication, including acetylcholine, GABA, other neurotransmitters, glutathione, inositol, glucocorticoids and many other neurochemicals.

Astrocytes also provide essential metabolic support related to memory and cognitive activities with the ability to make, store, and retrieve memories. They act as a manufacturing and storage center for BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which is vital for neuroplasticity, learning, memory, and regulates energy and glucose metabolism, stress resistance, cell survival and other actions.

Astrocytes regulate mitochondrial metabolism of glucose and GLP-1 receptors in the brain, affecting metabolism and satiety. They also affect lipid metabolism and ApoE4 gene homeostasis in your brain.

In addition, astrocytes help regulate blood flow, pH levels, inflammatory cytokines, tissue repair, and ion movement. They bring nutrients to the brain and spinal cord and are involved with the removal of free radicals. They control the blood-brain barrier, regulate vascular function and blood pressure, nerve synapse formation and stability, maintain fluid homeostasis, and optimize neurosignaling efficiency. They also specialize in neuroprotection and repair and affect your sleep quality.

Other types of glial cells, such as oligodendrocytes and microglial cells, work synergistically with astrocytes. Their critical functions involve learning, memory, neuroplasticity, cellular clean-up, myelin sheath growth and repair and much more.

The health of your brain’s glial cells impacts overall brain health and resiliency, affecting memory and cognitive longevity, mood, sleep, sensory and motor function, energy, satiety, weight, immune and gut health, and general health. Overactivation from chronic stressors disrupt the function of astrocytes and other glial cells, emphasizing the importance of ongoing support.

Things that Harm Astrocytes

A wide range of lifestyle, environmental, and metabolic factors can stress and damage astrocytes accelerating cognitive decline.

• poor/ proinflammatory (Western) diet

• sedentary lifestyle

• smoking

• insulin resistance

• obesity

• high blood pressure

• chronic alcohol intake

• methylmercury, ammonia

• disrupted sleep schedules/inadequate sleep

• gut microbiome dysbiosis/gut-brain axis dysregulation

• sugary carbonated beverages

• deep-fried foods with linoleic acid rich oil (vegetable and seed oils)

• concussions/head trauma

• chronic unrelenting stress, social isolation

These stressors disrupt glial and neuronal functions, making it essential to protect and support astrocytes throughout life.

Support for Cognitive Longevity and Astrocyte Health

A whole-food diet such as the Mediterranean diet nourishes and protects astrocytes and other glial cells. Choose foods with a low glycemic index and moderate carbohydrate intake as high sugar intake and blood sugar spikes and crashes metabolically stress astrocytes.

A large population study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (October 2025) found that individuals who consistently followed a whole-food diet, like the Mediterranean diet, for 10 years had a substantially lower risk of cognitive decline.

Fasting between meals is also highly beneficial for cognitive longevity. The Five Rules of the Leptin Diet is an easy-to-implement lifestyle plan for meal timing and fasting that supports brain metabolism and glial cell clean-up functions. The Five Rules are:

1. Never eat after dinner. Finish eating dinner at least three hours before bed.

2. Eat three meals a day. Allow 5-6 hours between meals. Do not have a snack!

3. Do not eat large meals. Finish a meal when you are slightly less than full.

4. Eat a high protein breakfast. Aim for 20-30 grams of protein at breakfast.

5. Reduce the amount of carbohydrates eaten. Limit but don't cut out carbs.

Choose healthier fats like high-polyphenol content, organic extra virgin olive oil instead of vegetable or seed oils. Limit alcohol intake, or avoid it altogether if cognitive changes are present. Wear your seat belt and a helmet as needed and follow a consistent sleep schedule.

Exercise

Exercise is essential for brain health and glial cell-astrocyte function. HIIT (high intensity interval training), low-impact aerobic activities, running, and strength training all promote neuroplasticity and help clear toxic proteins that stress astrocyte functions. Exercise also naturally increases BDNF expression in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center. Find physical activities that you enjoy and stick with them!

Nutrients

Astrocytes, other glial cells, nerves, blood vessels, and other tissues in your central nervous system require lifelong nutritional support. Key nutrients known to support brain health and glial cell protection and function include:

• phosphatidylserine

• nobiletin, a citrus bioflavonoid

• quercetin

• sulphoraphane from cruciferous vegetables

• omega-3 oils, especially DHA

• resveratrol

• vitamins D3 and K2

• methylated B vitamins

• luteolin

• grape seed extract

• butyrate and lauric acid/lauricidin

• acetyl l carnitine

• fisetin

• astaxanthin

• PEA

• magnesium

• green tea extract

• turmeric and more.

Make it a daily priority to include a foundational nutritional supplements like Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, Leptinal, Brain Protector, RelaxaMag, and Vitamin D3 + K2. Additional support options include Super Brain Booster, Tributyrin Plus, PEA Ultra, Quercetin Phytosome + Luteolin, Calcium AEP, and others. I encourage you to call us for more personalized support and resources!

Your central nervous system has intense energy, structural, and repair demands every single day. Consistent healthy choices provide the foundation and resiliency needed for cognitive and memory longevity. Nourishing and protecting astrocytes and other glial cells is one of the most powerful investments you can make in your long-term health. No matter your age or current challenges, take steps today to protect your cognitive future. Are you investing in your brain health for cognitive and memory longevity?

Check Out These Additional Resources!

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