How Does Food Affect the Brain?

UCLA professor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD, has spent years studying the effects of food and exercise on the brain. Recently, he analyzed more than 160 studies about foods’ affect on the brain. Wouldn’t you like to know what he thinks are the most vital things you can do to preserve your brainpower?

According to Gomez-Pinilla, emerging research indicates that a more healthful lifestyle (including a healthy diet with exercise and a good night’s sleep) can strengthen synapses in the brain and provide other desirable cognitive benefits. A positive lifestyle that incorporates a healthy diet can also reduce the effects of brain injury and lead to a better recovery, he notes.

Here are a few key statements from Dr. Gomez-Pinilla:

• Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for normal brain function. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the omega-3s we get from eating fish, is the most abundant omega-3 fatty acid in cell membranes in the brain.
• The brain is highly susceptible to oxidative damage.
• Brain synapses and several molecules related to learning and memory are adversely affected by unhealthy diets.
• Adequate levels of folic acid (folate) are essential for brain function, and folate deficiency can lead to neurological disorders such as depression and cognitive impairment.

Now for his brain-food observations and suggestions:

• Eat fish a couple times a week!
  
  • A dietary deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids in humans has been associated with increased risk of several mental disorders, including dementia. Getting your omega-3s from food, though, is most beneficial because the food provides additional nutrients. In my book FOOD Synergy, I discuss the various other components in food that appear to have synergy with the omega-3s and therefore enhance their health benefits.
  • DHA, one of the two omega-3s found in fish, helps reduce oxidative stress and enhances synaptic plasticity and learning and memory.
• Eat sensible portion sizes and avoid taking in excess calories! Excess calories can reduce the flexibility of synapses and increase the vulnerability of cells to damage caused by free radicals. In keeping with this more moderate way of eating, consuming smaller food portions with the appropriate nutrients seems to be beneficial for the brain’s molecules.
• Avoid junk food! Studies indicate that diets high in trans fats and saturated fats negatively impact our cognitive abilities. You’ll find trans fats and saturated fat in many of your choices in the fast food and junk food categories. In support of this observation, Gomez-Pinilla explains that junk food and fast food negatively affect the brain’s synapses.