According to Dr. Carol Greenwood, a senior scientist at Baycrest’s Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit (KLARU) and professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, there are supplements you can take that are beneficial to your brain, but there is no single wonder drug or even a wonder food that can improve your brain’s overall performance. It’s more of a combination of things.

“A good diet consists of a blend of healthy components since you want to support the brain’s pathways with more than one nutrient,” says Dr. Greenwood. She recommends a diet that includes fish oils, which are the active form of omega-3 fatty acids, a key element in our brain cells that also helps decrease inflammation, which can be harmful to the brain. These oils can be found naturally in fatty fishes such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, anchovies and sardines.

“You also need lots of fruits and vegetables, which are naturally high in antioxidants, to help eliminate harmful compounds produced in our bodies that damage brain cells through an oxidative reaction,” says Dr. Greenwood. “Berries, particularly blueberries, and colourful vegetables are good for you.

“Look for a variety of colours to get a more complete mix of antioxidants because each will bring its own blend. For example, choose green and red peppers, carrots and broccoli.”

Eating cereals and whole grains are also good for you. They help keep blood cholesterol levels low, which is important to the brain. If your arteries get clogged with cholesterol, your blood can’t deliver these important nutrients to the brain, says Dr. Greenwood. She also suggests eating low salt foods, to help keep blood pressure down, since that can help alleviate the likelihood of a stroke.

Dr. Carol GreenwoodDietary supplements such as one-a-day vitamins are simply not enough on their own. “You need nutrients from a range of foods, since foods carry more complex compounds, which function as antioxidants,” says Dr. Greenwood. “If you only take a pill, you don’t get the other ‘partners’ you need for those compounds to function fully.”

So, if some foods can help boost brain power, are there foods that can slow it down? One source of good information comes from animal studies. Through research we are learning that saturated fats, such as animal fats, can be harmful to brain functioning. A study done in the early 1990s by Drs. Greenwood and Gordon Winocur, a psychologist and senior scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute, supports this line of thinking.

“We used a diet that was 40 per cent fat, which was the same as what we found in the average North American diet at the time,” says Dr. Winocur.

“After three months, the animals became extremely overweight and cognitively impaired. Our conclusion was that diets high in saturated fats can accelerate the aging process in the brain.”

Dr. Greenwood says the study also shows that a high-saturated fat diet can lead to diabetes, a chronic condition that affects the entire body, including the brain. “If you take a middle-aged or older individual with Type 2 diabetes, and test their cognitive function relative to someone the same age without diabetes, the diabetic individual performs more poorly,” she says.

Currently, Dr. Greenwood is studying the effects of food on two different sets of animals. In one study, the animals are given high-fat diets as well as diabetes medication to determine if fat-induced cognitive decline can be halted by preventing the development of diabetes. In the second study, animals carrying the Alzheimer’s gene are given a healthy diet – rich in fish, fruits and vegetables – to determine if cognitive decline or changes in their brains can be slowed down with diet despite their genetic susceptibility to developing the disease.

However, Dr. Greenwood believes that the most important factor in preventing or delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s or a related dementia is in decreasing your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes in the first place. She also believes it is important to reduce brain cell inflammation and oxidation. “Inflammation and oxidative reactions can lead to tissue damage and even death of brain cells,” she says. “Preventing or minimizing these processes is an important step in preserving brain function.”

Dr. Greenwood recommends following Canada’s food guide as much as possible, and making sure you include fish as a high-protein food. She also cautions that if you make changes today to your diet to include more brain healthy foods, be patient, as it will take time to have an effect on your health. “It’s going to take several weeks for your body’s metabolism to change and become attuned to a healthier diet,” she says. “But don’t give up. You’ll be much happier, and healthier, in the end.

 

Donate Now!take the readership survey