This is one question researchers set out to answer in a recent study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, published. Many studies have focused on different nutrients as playing a role in mental health, but this group wanted to look at diet patterns as a whole to determine what big dietary factors might be affecting your mood.

The research team, from the University College of London and lead by Dr. Tasnime Akbaraly, used data from a large study called the Whitehall II study, which monitored many social, lifestyle, work and health factors in a group of over 10,000 British civil servants. Dr. Akbaraly’s team focused on evaluating whether what people ate affected their odds of becoming depressed, using a subset of approximately 3,500 people, for whom this data was available.

The researchers used a food questionnaire to lump dietary patterns into two major groups: a whole foods group (heavily loaded with fruits, vegetables and fish) and a processed food group (heavily loaded with sweets, fried foods, high-fat dairy, and processed grains and meats). What they found was that those who ate more of the whole foods or less of the process foods were less likely to become depressed.

To test the validity of their findings, they used statistical tools to remove the affects of several ‘confounding’ factors that may also be contributing to depression, including: age, gender, marital status, physical activity, smoking, education level, employment grade, and a host of other medical conditions. After adjusting for all of these, the findings still stood. A diet rich in whole foods seemed to protect against depression and a diet rich in processed foods seemed to increase the odds of depression.

These data are interesting because no other studies had really evaluated a ‘pro-depressive’ effect of processed foods. Many studies have shown benefit of individual nutrients, like omega-3s and B vitamin, but not really evaluated diet patterns as a whole.

For many people it’s kind of a no-brainer that the foods you eat can affect the way you feel. However, more studies like this one are needed to really make the link between different aspects of the diet and the risk of real depressive disorders, not just blue moods. The more we understand all the factors involved in contributing to depression and related disorders, the more we can do to effectively treat it.

Currently, psychiatrists, nurses and social workers all work together to help people deal with mental illnesses from different angles. Data is emerging, like this study, that suggests if we added nutritionists and exercise professionals into the mix, we could do an even better job.

Studies like this are the only way we can really solidify the science behind a broad treatment approach; and without the data insurance won’t cover it, and without insurance coverage the system won’t change. But do we need to wait for the system to change in order to live better today? No. Eat Well. Your brain will thank you.

Reference: Akbaraly et al., Dietary Pattern and Depressive Symptoms in Middle Age. The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 195:408-413.

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By Paul R. Burghardt & Simon J. Evans

In the last article we spoke about the age at which a person develops diabetes increases their risk for different types of dementia. In effect, the longer you can hold-off developing diabetes the less risk you have for developing vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

A recent article by De Felice and colleagues in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences speaks to how preventing diabetes or effectively managing the disease can affect brain cells at the microscopic level.

In this study, the researchers were able to show that insulin blocks the protein A-derived diffusible ligand (ADDL). This protein causes all sorts of problems for neurons including withering of the “spines” that make connections with other neurons and redistribution of other neuronal components (receptors) that are critical for the formation of memories.

In a sense, it appears that insulin is helping neurons stick to a microscopic version of the “use it or lose it” principle. When insulin was able to interact (bind to) insulin receptors the ADDL protein was not able to bind to the nerve cells. If you don’t use your insulin receptors, you lose parts of your brain cells (i.e. spines).

One issue that needs to be pointed out regarding this paper is that these studies were carried out in “cell culture.” No, this is not a New-Wave band from the 80’s. Cell culture, in science at lease, refers to a technique used to grow cells in a dish. Once you have cells growing in this very controlled laboratory situation, you can test the effects of different drugs, chemicals, nutrients on various functions of those cells. This is great for learning about how the nuts and bolts of cell biology work, however this is not a “natural” situation for a cell, and it can be difficult to directly use the information gleaned from cell culture experiments in an intact organism (i.e. a walking talking human).

With that cautionary point about cell culture experiments in mind, we’d like to point out that there are studies showing that insulin-sensitizing drugs (drugs that help the body use insulin) can improve memory in diabetics and people with Alzheimer’s Disease. So this is something that people should pay attention to! Not just us nerdy scientists that are fascinated by how things work under a microscope.

The real take-home message for diabetics, relating to the previous blog, is that good management of your diabetes is EXTREMELY important. If insulin has the ability to block these nasty little ADDL proteins from eating the branches of your brain cells, then the better control of your insulin levels should help you fend off these proteins. If you are not diabetic, but have a family history, then take steps to reduce your risk of developing diabetes. This disease occurs over time, so the longer you can avoid it (see the February 17th blog) the less you are likely to accrue.

Now, if you’ve been reading faithfully, you’ll notice Simon focused on the same article in “Control your blood sugar, Improve your memory?” on February 11th, but we wanted to revisit it to tie together with the posted on February 17th, “Diabetes increases risk for developing dementia: what control do you have” to emphasize that no matter if you have ‘normal’ blood glucose control or have diabetes you can help reduce your risk for developing dementia.

Another side-note….although the narrator of the video clip below mentions that insulin does not cross the blood brain barrier (which protects the brain from bad stuff), there is pretty good evidence indicating that insulin actually does cross into the brain.

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By Simon J. Evans, PhD

For far too long, neuroscientists have considered the brain as somehow separate from the body. As a neuroscientist, I have been guilty of that myself. The brain is, after all an incredibly complex organ that really defines who you are. But it is still an organ that plays by physical rules of the body.

Your brain does have special treatment not enjoyed by other organs. It has a blood-brain barrier that keeps many unwanted toxins out and necessary nutrients in, giving it first dibs on much of the good stuff. But your brain still requires a healthy blood supply to deliver energy, in the form of oxygen and nutrients, and to remove metabolic waste products, even if this process is under tighter control than it is for other organs.

We’ve been touting the message for some time now that eating better and exercising more helps your brain fitness. But how exactly does that work? The answer to that question is currently a hot topic of investigation, but a couple of new reports shed some light – in my opinion, a fairly bright light related to your brain’s blood supply.

The first study, published in the December 2008 issue of Neuron, reported that brain cells that don’t get enough energy tend to increase markers of Alzheimer’s disease. Brain cells have the potential to produce a protein that accumulates during Alzheimer’s disease, called amyloid-beta. In the new study, researchers discovered a process that leads to production of this protein when the neurons don’t get enough glucose (blood sugar).

What can lead to a lack of blood sugar delivery? Answer: A poor brain blood supply, which can be a result of poor cardiovascular health. What can improve cardiovascular health, and improve energy delivery to the brain? Answer: A good diet and exercise.

But there is another side of the coin. It’s not enough to deliver blood sugar to the brain efficiently, you have to get your brain cells to take it as well. If you have become insulin resistant then your brain cells may not be able to take up the glucose that’s delivered. Current estimates are that about 42% of American adults have at least early stages of insulin resistance, which if it gets bad enough can lead to type II diabetes.

A second report, published in the December 2008 issue of Annals of Neurology, bolsters that argument. In this study, researchers evaluated blood volume in the brains of diabetics. What they found was that specific parts of the brain in diabetic patients had less blood volume, which likely means less energy delivery. Based on the above study, this means a potential for production of more the Alzheimer’s related protein, amyloid-beta.

Furthermore, the part of the brain where researchers found less blood volume was a region of the hippocampus known to play a role in learning and memory and known to be one of the regions most affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

How do you improve insulin sensitivity? Answer: Eat better and exercise.

These were very cool studies because they can potentially lead to better treatments for people with early stages of Alzheimer’s or other types of cognitive decline. But in a way they are also proving the obvious. If we give our brain and body what we know we should give it, namely good food and exercise, we go a long way toward supplying ourselves with the tools we need to stay brainfit.

When you eat nutritious foods, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains you arm your brain with the tools to defend itself. When you exercise regularly you ensure those tools get where they need to go. It’s not rocket science. Do it for your brain.

References:
Neuron (2008) 60, 988-1009
Annals of Neurology (2008) 64, 698-706

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By Simon J. Evans, PhD

A lot research has focused on omega-3 fats as good for body and brain function. Scientists have scrutinized these fats in everything from heart disease and diabetes to depression, bipolar illness, schizophrenia, ADHD and Alzheimer’s. The latest papers to add to the experimental pile come from a recent edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The new studies evaluate omega-3s in people in their 70s and 80s and relate to cognitive function, mood and mental well-being. The bottom line to the new findings is that having higher levels of omega-3s in your blood protects you from many cognitive problems of old age. The downside is that you can’t just start taking them in your 70s and expect quick results. However, longer use may still be beneficial.

So what’s the best way to boost omega-3 levels in your blood. First, you have to understand that there are different kinds of omega-3s that come from different sources. The kind of omega-3s that are good for your brain are called ‘long-chain’ omega-3s, most commonly DHA and EPA, and fish is the best source for these.

You may have heard that things like flaxseed oil and walnuts are high in omega-3s as well. Although this is true, these foods are only high in ‘short-chain’ omega-3s, which are not the kind that appear to have the most brain benefit.

To complicate things even further, most animals can convert the short-chain to long chain forms, but humans are not very good at this. If we want to increase long-chain omega-3s in our blood and increase our odds of aging with a healthy brain, eating sources of long-chain omega-3s is our best bet. Fish is the #1 source.

If you don’t eat about 3 servings of fish per week, you should really consider taking a fish oil supplement on a regular basis. If you are a vegetarian who does not eat fish at all, don’t fret, there are also algal oil supplements out there that have the long-chain omega-3s. After all, fish can’t make omega-3s either. They get them by eating marine plants (or eating other fish that eat marine plants). Fish are just good at concentrating omega-3s in their meat, so are a great source for us folks that don’t like chewing on seaweed.

Fish has been considered brain food for the better part of a couple of centuries. Whether you like it or not, our bodies are designed to run best on a diet high in marine sources. If you look at the cultures around the world who enjoy longevity and vibrant health into their old age, you will find fish as a staple in all of them.

There is nothing new to this advice. Only that we are now beginning to understand why fish and the omega-3s they give us, are important for many aspects of our mood and metabolism. Once again, science finally catches up to age-old wisdom to support what we have known all along – Fish is brain food, eat it and prosper.

Reference: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2008). 88: pp 595, 706, 714, 722.

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