Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Rawpixel on Unsplash A new study involving mice, suggests that EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), the most abundant catechin and biologically active component in green tea, could alleviate high-fat and high-fructose (HFFD)-induced insulin resistance and cognitive impairment. What is EGCG? After water, green tea is the …
Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash Two new studies show that dark chocolate reduces stress and inflammation, while improving memory, immunity, and mood. Let’s get snackin’! Lee S. Berk, DrPH, associate dean of research affairs, School of Allied Health Professions and a researcher in psychoneuroimmunology …
Researchers from the University of California (UCLA) have discovered that adults that spend more time sitting in the day had greater thinning of the medial temporal lobe, the area of the brain that is important for making new memories.
The small study included 35 adults between the ages of 45 and 75, without dementia. In the report, published in the journal PLOS ONE, the authors concluded that even high levels of physical activity did not make a difference. The data on average hours spent sitting every day and physical activity levels came from detailed questionnaires that the men and women filled in. Medical temporal lobe thickness was measured with MRA scans of their brains.
When the data was analyzed, the researchers found “no significant correlations” between levels of physical activity and medical temporal lobe thickness. However, they did find that the more sedentary people had less medical temporal lobe thickness. Because of this, the authors suggest that “sedentary behavior may have deleterious effects on glycemic control”, which could result in increased variability of blood sugar and lead to reduced blood flow in the brain, which in turn, impairs brain health.
There is a slowing of brain function that occurs naturally as we age. The numerous tiny power plants found in each nerve cell become old and wrinkles and their efficiency decreases, having a direct correlation on your brain energy. When you restore energy production, you improve the efficiency. By incorporating specific nutrients that address the health of these tiny power plants and lifestyle changes, you can protect your brain and increase your energy.
Foods like walnuts, blueberries, cocoa and cinnamon have been hailed as memory boosters. You’ll want to avoid processed foods, trans-fat and sugar. You can even take supplements to promote good brain health too.
Exercise increased the oxygen levels in your brain, decreases stress hormones and increased the effect of helpful brain chemicals. Research has proved that aerobic activity and resistance training combined boosts brain power, and improves cognitive abilities.
Skipping those 7-9 hours of sleep each night has been shown to interfere with the brain’s ability to form new memories. Sleep helps to maintain healthy physical and mental health, especially our memory.
Superior brain health supplements have been shown to benefit mental clarity, memory function, cognitive ability, and focus. Supplements like Phophatidylserine, NADH, DHA, ALA, and Ubiquinol have been shown in numerous studies to benefit brain health.
Read the full study here: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195549
by Nicole Crane, B.S., NTP Chocolate is one of nature’s most powerful superfoods. But it’s benefits can be reversed when milk, cholesterol from milk solids and enormous amounts of refined sugars are added (i.e. the chocolate we all know and love!). What is Cocoa? Cocoa …
A new study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge reveals that middle-aged adults who were overweight had reduced white matter volume in the brain, which, researchers say, represents around a decade of brain aging. …
Have you ever wondered why you can never eat just one French fry or just one chip? According to a new study performed on rats, researchers studied the link between gut and brain activity and found that a high fat diet changes the populations of bacteria that reside in your gut and also alters signaling to the brain. This causes the brain’s sense signals for fullness to shut down and causes the overeating that can lead to obesity.
Krzysztof Czaja, DVM, PhD, associate professor of neuroanatomy at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine and a principal investigator on the study stated, “When we switch the rats to a high fat diet, it reorganizes brain circuits. The brain is being changed by eating unbalanced foods and it induces inflammation in the brain regions that are responsible for feeding behavior.” The study, conducted on rats by researchers at the University of Georgia, Washington State University and Binghamton University, found immediate negative effects when the rats were fed a diet high in fat.
“Suddenly,” Dr. Czaja explains, “different nutrients are changing the microenvironment in the gut and some bacteria begin to overpopulate. So, introducing a significant change in the gut microenvironment triggers a cascade of events that leads to this population switch.” The inflammation caused by these changes can damage nerve cells that carry the “full” signal from the gut to the brain (gut-brain miscommunication). And scientists do not know if this damage can be reversed or cured.
Dr. Czaja suggests that all the components and receptors in our body are interconnected and should always work together. However, disrupting that connection can leave the brain very confused and have you finishing that order of French fries faster than it took you to order them, even though you were not even hungry.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com/