Good diet helps the brain get bigger?

Maintaining a healthy nutrition not only provides the body with the necessary nutrients and amounts of mineral vitamins, but also greatly affects the functioning of the brain's tasks. So what should we eat good for the brain?

1. What is good for the brain?

Recent research on 4,200 people aged 45 and over at the start and with an average age of 66 published in the journal Neurology found that people in the Netherlands who eat a diet full of vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish have a larger brain than others who use a poorer diet. According to experts, adherence to healthy dietary quality helps support brain health and is an appropriate preventive strategy for maintaining and enhancing awareness (thinking and memory) in the elderly.

The team surveyed subjects who studied the type and amount of food they ate in the past month. The survey covered nearly 400 food items. In addition, the team also looked at dietary quality based on the Dutch dietary guidelines. Dietary quality is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 14 being the healthiest. The best diets contain a lot of fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, milk and fish, and drinks with little sugar. The results after calculations showed that the average score on the quality of nutrition of the Dutch was seven.

vegetable

Diet containing fruits and vegetables brings many benefits to the human brain

Participants were also given MRI scans by experts to measure their brain size. In addition, the team also collected more information about other factors that can affect brain size, such as high blood pressure, physical activity and smoking.

After adjusting for factors such as age, gender, in-skull volume, education level, calories eaten, smoking, physical activity and body mass index, higher diet quality scores are associated with a greater total brain volume including gray matter volume , white matter mass and hipposlmic volume. Those with the healthiest diets had brains about 2 ml larger than those who ate less healthy foods. The 2-millilitre (mL) difference in brain size may actually turn into better thinking and memory skills due to the increased risk of intellectual decline with advanced age, and as age increases, human brain mass decreases, the team authors said. Even when adjusting for other cardiovascular risk factors, there is no change in results and the diet is not associated with white matter damage or brain haemorrhage.

When researchers looked at a Mediterranean diet made up mainly of fish and nuts, the same results, with healthier eating, would help the brain grow larger. This is not surprising, when middle-aged people who do not adhere to the Mediterranean regime appear the phenomenon of increased amyloid plaque deposition and a decrease in brain activity that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease higher than those who strictly adhere to the Mediterranean diet.

Whole grains

Whole grains help the brain stay healthy and prevent certain diseases

2. Why does good nutrition help better brain function?

It is possible that nutrition is very good in young people because at this age they have a well-developed and growing brain that can lead to larger brains. And it is possible that those who ate a healthy diet in the study ate well at an early age.

Some other mechanisms may explain the link between diet and brain health such as nutrition that can have a direct effect on neurological health or may affect the risk of vascular diseases or vascular diseases. "A healthy diet helps blood circulation flow in the body better and what's good for the heart is good for the brain," said James Hendrix, director of global science initiatives at the Alzheimer's Society. If the heart works well and the blood circulation is good to the brain then the brain will work more efficiently. One hypothesis of the causes of Alzheimer's disease is that amyloid and tau proteins accumulate because they are not cleaned properly. So when the brain has a lot of blood flow to the brain, it helps the body eliminate those proteins, thereby reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Expert nutrition

A reasonable diet helps people reduce their risk of Alzheimer's disease

In addition, scientific literature to date has in turns out that a balanced diet rich in healthy fiber and carbs, low to medium fat content will support the aging brain to function effectively. And there is no evidence to prove the opposite, so scientists strongly support recommending a Mediterranean diet that helps prevent brain aging and prevent dementia.

The brain is an energy-rich body with about 20% of body calories. So the brain needs a lot of good fuel to stay focused throughout the day. Therefore, if you want a healthy brain to perform the right functions, you should maintain a proper and healthy nutrition full of nutrients combined with resting and practicing sports daily.

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Source: webmd.com, health.harvard.edu

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About: John Smith

b1ffdb54307529964874ff53a5c5de33?s=90&r=gI am the author of Share99.net. I had been working in Vinmec International General Hospital for over 10 years. I dedicate my passion on every post in this site.

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