Our brain is the most vital organ of our bodies; it is a simple and inarguable fact. It is our brain that is responsible for regulating the body's function, even when the individual is in an unconscious state. So, it is critical that one's mind stays in perfect shape and receive a steady supply of fuel and oxygen to perform at its best levels. It is also crucial for memory and spatial perception.
There is a lot to cover when it comes to brain health. Sites like Brain Reference provide tons of valuable resources that can help you improve your brain health. In this post, we will be focusing on the connection between your diet and your brain health.
Do you know that your brain consumes around 20% of the calories you ingest daily? Yes, that is correct. This only emphasizes how important a nutrient-rich diet actually is; after all, the quality of food one consumes directly impacts the health and functioning of this organ.
The effects of a sugar-rich diet
The sugar-sweetened beverages are the favorite of many, which is pretty unsurprising. Many folks cannot even get their day going without starting with a cup of coffee in their bed. And then, they consume high-sugar content items like fruit juice, sports drinks, sodas, and more throughout the day. Now, not only consuming high-sugar content is not suitable for our bodies as they contribute to obesity and other physical health issues, but they also have an impact on one's mental health.
Excess sugar enters our bloodstream and creates a compound known as AGEs or advanced glycation, which is pretty harmful to the blood vessels and other body tissues. The excessive presence of AGEs leads to degenerative brain disease. Additionally, the presence of high-sugar content in one's body leads to stimulation of a counter-reactive surge of cortisol and glucagon. These are known to increase anxiety and irritability in the individual. They have also been linked to depression and mood swings.
How do a diet impact deficiency disorders and mood?
As we have already mentioned earlier, it is vital for one to get a balanced and nutrient-rich diet for their mind to work properly. This is nothing new. The deficiency of crucial nutrients in a diet can have massive implications on a person's mood and could even lead to deficiency disorders. The absence or lack of nutrients like cobalamine, folate, and zinc, is known to be related to cognitive decline and symptoms of depression.
Mental health cases have been continuously on the rise in the last few decades. Mental illness is now among the most common disorders in many countries worldwide, especially between the ages of 15 to 44 years. Studies have shown that a poor diet has been one of the significant factors for the rising cases of mental illness. Therefore one must rectify their lousy eating habits, stop digesting comfort foods and opt for a more balanced diet.
Presence of dietary fats and the impact it has on brain function
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to a diet, as they play a vital role in many neural processes. They are also pretty helpful in treating a number of psychological disorders, including PTSD and more. On the other hand, the presence of Omega-6 fatty acids actually increases the possibility of the individual suffering from such psychological disorders; ADHD is one of the many common examples.
Most of the regular everyday diet contains a large portion of Omega-6 fatty acids and surprisingly low levels of Omega-3 fatty acids. Ingestion of sugar or a similar sweetening substance increases the level of Omega-6 fatty acids. Even processed foods have an impact in increasing the presence of these harmful Omega fatty-6 acids.
One can observe that many healthy diets around the world are more focused on the high content of vegetables, fruits, and seafood. They also lack dairy and meat content, with almost no processed food on the table. They also have a small amount of cheese and yogurt in their daily diet for better food digestion.
It is understandable to everyone that the better-balanced diet individual consumes, the better their mental health would be. So if you are still questioning the importance of having a balanced diet in brain functioning, the answer should be pretty much clear to you by now.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of sciencetimes.com
