Eating Healthy Keeps Your Brain Young and Healthy
Last month we talked about the Nun Study and what researchers have learned from almost 20 years of working with the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Their results confirm what Sláinte has always believed: use it or lose it.
No matter how old or how young you are, exercise your mind by reading and learning new skills. Keep your body active or you will lose that too. No use having a healthy brain if the rest of you is going to seed!
But what kind of dietary changes can you make to avoid Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia? There is no one nutrient or combination of nutrients that can protect the brain from aging in everyone. However, researchers have found that some dietary changes can reduce the risk of memory loss, Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
High blood pressure, diabetes, and depression all affect how the brain works and influence memory loss. A healthy diet can lessen the impact these diseases have on your brain and its functioning.
Scientists have also discovered several substances that can damage your brain cells. Homocysteine: This chemical is a direct vascular toxin; it can injure the blood vessels your brain cells need to keep them supplied with oxygen. Researchers have found that people with increased homocysteine levels in their blood have a 1.9-fold increase in dementia.
This is of particular concern to those of Celtic descent because we are at greater risk to have high levels of homocysteine. Luckily you can neutralize this toxin by getting plenty of the B vitamins folate, B6 and B12. As we age we are less able to absorb B12, so take a high potency supplement. In addition, take a low level folate and B6 supplement and make sure you eat plenty of leafy greens.
Your doctor can do a simple blood test to measure homocysteine levels. Because of homocysteine’s role in cardiovascular disease, this test is often done as part of your physical. If not, ask your doctor for a blood test. These same B vitamins have also been shown to play a role in cognitive functioning in women.
Free radicals: The cells in the brain are very busy and this high level of activity creates a dangerous kind of oxygen molecule called a free radical. A free radical has a single unpaired electron in its outer orbit making it extremely unstable. Oxygen free radicals produced in the brain will rip electrons from the delicate outer membrane of neurons causing them injury or death.
Vitamin E helps to prevent this by “volunteering” to be oxidized first so that brain cells are spared. Vitamin C is a less potent antioxidant but it is able to recycle vitamin E so it can be used again and again.
Both of these vitamins are believed to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The richest food sources of vitamin E include vegetable oil and the salad dressings made from them, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachio nuts, peanuts, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, egg yolk and avocados. The richest source of Vitamin C are citrus fruits, bell peppers, cruciferous [any of various plants in the mustard family, which includes cabbage, radish, broccoli] vegetables, and strawberries.
Cholesterol: It seems likely that cholesterol plays some role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. One study of Finnish men found that elevated blood cholesterol in mid-life tripled the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in later life. Animal products such as fatty red meat, poultry skin, butter and full fat dairy increase your body’s production of cholesterol.
Two recent studies found that patients who take statin drugs (atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin) to lower serum cholesterol had a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer's disease when compared with similar patients who did not take these medications.
Poly and monounsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol levels and they are also associated with lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Saturated fat increases the amount of cholesterol produced in the body. Three dietary studies have found that a high intake of saturated fat doubled the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Trans fats, produced when vegetable fats are hydrogenated (made solid), also increase cholesterol production. Scientists have found that just a moderate intake of trans fat increased the risk of Alzheimer's disease by two to three times.
Numerous animal and laboratory studies have shown that Alzheimer's disease involves inflammation, although it is not know whether the inflammation is a cause or effect. Nevertheless, the end result is nerve cell disruption and cell death.
Participants in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study were tested for serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a molecular marker for inflammation. Higher levels of CRP were found to be associated with poorer cognitive performance.
Fish really are brain food. Inflammation can be lessened by a diet rich in the omega three fatty acids found in fish and fish oil, and low in the arachidonic acid found in animal products. Most doctors now test CRP levels along with cholesterol and triglyceride so ask about the test at your next physical.
Scientists have reported low levels of omega three fatty acids in the plasma and brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer's disease when compared with controls. In several studies, one fish meal a week was associated with a 60 percent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
When we think of longevity we automatically think of long life. But what good is a long life without a healthy brain and mind to enjoy it? In addition to exercising your body and mind, you must feed your neurons so they are healthy too. You also need to furnish your neurons with the protective elements they need to defend themselves from toxic molecules.
You can do that by having three or more servings of fish per week or at least one fish oil capsule per day to raise DHA levels and help to decrease inflammation. Take a B vitamin supplement to make sure you get enough B12, B6 and folate, in order to decrease homocysteine levels. Follow a heart healthy diet that is low is saturated fat and rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats such as vegetable and olive oil.
Have a yearly physical with blood tests for homocysteine and C reactive protein (CRP), in addition to the usual cholesterol and triglyceride tests.
Finally, if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or depression, make sure these disorders are kept under control.
Sláinte!
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