Strict Diet could Save Brain from Aging

Eating Less may keep the Mind Young

Eating less may keep the mind young, according to Italian scientists who reported Monday they have discovered the molecular process by which a strict diet may save the brain from the ravages of age.

The research, published in the US journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on a study of mice that were fed a diet of about 70 percent of the food they normally consumed.

Scientists found the calorie-restricted diet triggered a protein molecule, CREB1, that activates a host of genes linked to longevity and good brain function.

"Our hope is to find a way to activate CREB1, for example through new drugs, so to keep the brain young without the need of a strict diet," said lead author Giovambattista Pani, researcher at the Institute of General Pathology, Faculty of Medicine at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome.

Researchers have previously discovered that mice on diets showed better cognitive abilities and memory, less aggression, and tended to avoid or delay Alzheimer's disease. But they have not known exactly why.

"CREB1 is known to regulate important brain functions as memory, learning and anxiety control, and its activity is reduced or physiologically compromised by aging," said the study.

Mice that were genetically altered to lack CREB1 showed none of the same memory benefits if they were on a low-calorie diet as mice that had the molecule, and showed the same brain disabilities as mice that were overfed.

"Thus, our findings identify for the first time an important mediator of the effects of diet on the brain," Pani said.

"This discovery has important implications to develop future therapies to keep our brain young and prevent brain degeneration and the aging process."

According to Marc Gordon, chief of neurology at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York, the findings could shed new light on why some people who are obese in middle age encounter cognitive problems later in life.

"Mid-life obesity has been associated with late-life dementia. However, the physiological basis for this association remains unclear," said Gordon, who was not part of the study.

"These investigators have studied the effects of limiting caloric intake in mice, and have identified a biochemical pathway that may mediate at least some of the brain's responses to dietary restriction."

Blame Your Brain for Eating Junk Food

Blame Your Brain for Eating Junk Food

Brain restrains signals and tells body to consume lip-smacking pizzas and burgers, says a new study.

Panfull of pizza and cheese toppings in actuality can direct your head to munch it all. Yes this is true and now it’s official. This psychologically satisfying study by UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, revealed that fat content from variety of foods such as burgers and ice-cream goes straight to the brain.

It is a process where the brain is prompted by the fat molecules to drive messages to body’s cell- with a word of caution to pay no heed to the hunger-restraining warning signs. It is then instigated by insulin and leptin- the two fundamental hormones which help keeping a check on one’s weight.

Research shows that this process can last up to three days.  Experts suggest that usually our bodies know where to put a stop to when we are consuming food in excessive amount. However, that is not the norm in cases where the food happens to suit our taste palette and is irresistibly good.

Medical reports suggest that an individual’s whole brain working can alter in a considerably small period of time. Their results imply that when one binges on foods high in fat content, their brain tends to catch a ‘hit’ because of the fatty acids present in them. This in result makes body opposed to leptin and insulin. Thus, one is not informed by the brain to put a halt in their eating and is likely to overindulge.

The experts also discovered that a particular variety of fat which is known as palmitic acid- most prominent in beef and dairy products such as butter, milk and cheese- is predominantly successful at initiating this particular mechanism.

This particular study was performed by revealing mice and rats to fat content in many ways. It was done by inserting numerous varieties of fats straight into the brain, either via nourishing the animal through a stomach tube nearly thrice a day or by carotid artery.

Animals were given an equal quantity of fats and calories though the type of fat varied. Palmitic acid, unsaturated oleic acid and monounsaturated fatty acids were the different type of fats given to them which is commonly found in our everyday food such as grapeseed oil and olive oil.

According to Research “There are various centres in the brain that stimulates your appetite. It may increase or decrease. You may have various moods just by looking at the food.”

Many people have food according to their taste and some go by health factor and availability. People are not really guided about the health factor of the food they intake and that is the reason they usually pick the taste pattern ignoring the health perspective. Junk food may impair how your brain responds and can further make it duller. Lack of concentration is another factor that is caused due to continuous intake of junk food.

“Socio-Cultural behaviour is the chief reason that attracts maximum towards the junk food. For instance, people who are vegetarian in school usually become non-vegetarian in college which leads to behavioural change in people. Secondly, they adapt habits such as smoking and drinking. They usually adapt an environment around them ignoring the health perspective thinking it’s "IN and HEP,”

In brief the most observed way to lose weight by researchers is to get in link to the psychosomatic connection of food.

So, now we know what to blame, when you hog tubful of indulgence.