| Does your lifestyle max out your brain power or act as
a power drain?
The more risk factors for heart disease you have in your life, the higher
the chance these habits have of affecting your thinking. And the more
risk factors present in your lifestyle, the larger the decline in your
brain’s ability to do its job. "Factors such as obesity, smoking,
diabetes, poor diet, and high blood pressure may impact your brain,"
says Steven W. Anderson, Ph.D., University of Iowa Department of Neurology.
Here are four areas where your lifestyle may affect your brain function:
- Stress can cause short-term memory loss, agitation, inability to focus,
confusion, and/or depression.
- Caffeine increases the activity of your muscles, nervous system, and
heart. Too much caffeine has the same effect on the brain as long-term
stress.
- Alcohol is not a long-term solution to stress. In fact, alcohol combined
with stress is deadly. Alcohol stimulates the secretion of adrenalin
resulting in nervous tension, irritability, and insomnia.
- Lack of adequate sleep makes the brain work harder while accomplishing
less. Language ability and attention often suffer when the brain is
sleep deprived.
It is the most vital part of your body and by far the most complex, using
the most energy. It is made up of approximately 100 billion nerve cells,
or neurons; neuroglia (supporting-tissue) cells; and vascular (blood-carrying)
and other tissues. The brain uses between 20 to 25 percent of all the
oxygen the body requires.
The brain controls all your body functions from life support systems
like breathing and heart beats, to seeing, hearing, decision making, emotions,
conversation, and learning. If you were stranded on a desert island without
food or water, your brain would be the organ to remain most intact the
longest.
The average adult brain weighs about three pounds, representing between
two to three percent of your total body weight. Between 50 to 55 percent
of the entire human genome is used to form and maintain the brain. It
is an expensive organ to design and sustain.
The brain is very adaptable and susceptible to environmental influences.
It is this very ability that has enabled humans to survive and develop.
Brain food
Eat the right foods and your brain power will automatically increase.
If it were only that easy.
There are no foods that will make you a genius. But certain foods help
the brain function better.
Fish is an excellent source of high quality protein, and a wide variety
of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and D, phosphorus, magnesium,
selenium, and iodine. But fish, especially cold-water fish, is more than
just a good alternative source for these—fish oils are the richest
source of certain fatty acids vital for good health and cannot be manufactured
by the body. Omega-3 fat is an essential fat, because you only get it
through the foods you eat.
The long-chain omega 3 fatty acid, the same oil said to fight heart disease,
helps protect the brain and has direct beneficial effect on brain chemistry,
development, and functioning.
Good sources of omega 3 fatty acids include salmon, herring, tuna, sardine,
anchovy, mackerel, and bluefish. If you’re a vegetarian, use flaxseed
oil.
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What’s on the menu for your brain?
You know that your body needs vitamins and minerals to stay strong and
healthy. So do your brain and nerves. Check out this list and see if your
diet includes "brain food."
In addition to their other functions, many B vitamins are vital to normal
brain and nerve function. Most of the B vitamins, and folic acid have
specific advantages for your brain and nervous system:
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)—essential for healthy brain and nerve cells.
It is found in whole grain and enriched grain products like bread, rice,
pasta, and fortified cereals, pasta, as well as pork.
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)—forms a coenzyme witch helps in
transmission of nerve impulses. It can be found in meat, poultry, fish,
whole-grain cereals, legumes, milk, vegetables, and fruit.
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)—helps convert tryptophan into serotonin,
a brain chemical. It can be found in chicken, fish, pork, liver, and
kidney, as well as whole grain cereals, nuts, and legumes. Vitamin B12
(Cyanocobalamin)—helps maintain healthy nervous tissue. It is found
in eggs, meat, fish, poultry, and milk and dairy products.
- Folic acid—essential for metabolism of long-chain fatty acids
in the brain. It is found in bananas, orange juice, fortified cereals,
lemons, strawberry, cantaloupe, leafy vegetables, dried beans and peas.
It is especially important for pregnant women because low levels increase
the risk of neural tube defects in newborns.
The following minerals play a role in nerve function:
- Magnesium—It is found in whole grains, legumes, nuts, and green
vegetables.
- Potassium—It is found in apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe,
grapefruit, honeydew, kiwi, oranges, prunes, strawberries, potatoes,
meat, and fish.
- Calcium-It is found in milk and milk products such as cheese, yogurt,
calcium-fortified foods, and fish with edible bones.
"Notice the variety of foods listed above," says Mindy Fretz,
UI Hospitals and Clinics dietitian, "All the food groups are represented.
It’s important to eat a variety of foods, using the Food Pyramid
as a guide for the food groups and portions.
"Following the Food Pyramid helps you include in your diet the variety
of nutrients your body needs, including the ones for your nerves and brain,
for all daily functions," she says. "Food is the preferred source
for nutrients. If you are concerned about your ability to meet your nutritional
needs and are considering a multiple vitamin and mineral, talk with your
doctor and dietitian to receive advice on the appropriate one for you."
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More information
Listed above are several Web sites that offer additional information
on this topic. University of Iowa Health Care does not sponsor or endorse
these sites, or guarantee the accuracy of the information contained on
these sites. These links are here for general information only, and should
not be used for personal diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions,
please contact UI Health Access.
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