HEALTHY BRAIN
HOW TO KEEP OUR BRAIN HEALTHY AND BRIGHT
Our brain is the most precious, most complex and unique neuro-anatomical organ there is. It is commander-in-chief and in charge of every cell, every tissue and every organ system in our body for their proper functioning. It is the creator of the mind and all of our mental faculties: consciousness, intelligence, thinking, sensory perception, learning, decision making, emotions, manners and personality characteristics.
To accomplish all of these still poorly understood tasks, our brain, which weighs only around 1.4 kg, is composed of an extraordinary amount of specialized nerve cells: Main nerve cells (Neurons) and Support cells (Glial cells).
Main nerve cells (neurons) number around 100 billion. Neurons are responsible for all mental faculties by communicating with other nerve cells.
Glial support cells (oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells and astrocytes) are 10-to-50 times more than main nerve cells. Their job is to provide many needed support functions for the main nerve cells, including housekeeping, phagocytosis (ingestion of bacteria or other substances), energy supply and feeding, defending, immunity, production of nerve growth factors, repair and immunity.
Our brain is fiercly protected by multiple mechanisms. It is housed in a very thick skull, surrounded by a firm fibrotic capsule and a flowing cerebrospinal fluid around it, and internally protected by the brain-blood-barrier (BBB).
However, we don’t often appreciate the importance of our brain. We neglect, waste and abuse our brain with our bad habits like smoking, drinking, eating too much, eating the wrong foods, taking brain altering addictive drugs, narcotics and not sleeping enough to rest it.
Recent scientific studies have shown that, in addition not having these bad habits, remaining mentally and physically active (brain and body continuously communicate with each other), and modifying our diet to include two important nutrients curry and omega-3 fatty acids (or taking them as food supplements) could keep our brain healthy and bright.
According to a recent study, published in The Journal of Nature, glial cells malfunction when we get older, by secreting inflammatory molecules and causing inflammation in the brain, thereby inducing aging and regression in the cognitive functions of the brain. In laboratory studies, when this inflammatory process is reversed in lab animals, with certain medications, animals return to normal with vibrant brain functions.
As we know, inflammatory reaction is the body’s immune system induced defense mechanism, generally on a temporary basis, to fight infection, injury or diseases. But when a chronic, stealth inflammation occurs, it is abnormal and it should be delt with by taking some medications or nutrient substances. That is where curry and omega-3 fatty acids play an important role.
The culinary spice curry (active ingredient curcuminoid) has been the mainstay of traditional folkloric medicine for millennia. Modern medicine is exploring its effects in maintaining brain health and preventing neuro-degenerative diseases of the brain with many beneficial biological results in laboratory studies, such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, neuroprotection.
Evidence also continues to accumulate that long chain, unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (the main ingredient in fish oil) protects the brain from aging. Actually omega-3 fat DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is major constituents of nerve cells membranes. A low concentration of it, causes marked reduction in nerve cells functions. Omega-3 fatty acids are also important anti-inflammatory agents by occupying nerve cells membranes at the expense of omega-6 fatty acids which tends to promote more inflammations, by producing more pro-inflammatory cytokines.
It is unfortunate that, despite the importance of omega-3 fatty acids for the development and maintenance of brain health, most of the world population is deficient of omega-3 fatty acids, because of artificially produced cheap cooking oil that contain no omega-3 fatty acids.
Even though I am against food supplements, but laboratory studies are so convincing that now, I strongly recommend taking more curry and omega-3 fatty acids, either with our diet (cooking frequently with curry, following fish dominant Mediterranean diet) or, taking them as food supplements.
The International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommends that pregnant and lactating women take 300 mg/day of omega-3 DHA, for the development of the brain of the baby. The average intake should be about ¼ of that amount.
