The message is getting clearer – your diet significantly impacts your ability to think. And if you have thinking challenge in the first place, why make “thinking” any harder for your self.
According to a recent article from the Atlantic, “A new study goes deeper in understanding the connection between good nutrition and a healthy brain.” Importantly, in this study researchers used “…biomarkers in the blood to measure the vitamin levels in 104 participants. They also had participants take tests to measure thinking and memory function, and 42 participants had MRI scans to measure their brain volume.”
The result? “The researchers found some striking connections between nutrition and brain health. People who had higher levels of B family vitamins, as well as vitamins C, D, and E had higher scores on cognitive tests than people with lower levels. The same positive relationship was found for omega-3 fatty acids, which have previously been linked to better brain health.
On the flip-side, people with higher levels of trans fats in their blood had poorer performance in thinking and memory tests. Their MRI scans also revealed more brain shrinkage than people who had lower trans fats levels. Trans fats are found in a variety of junk foods, like fried, packaged, and fast foods. “
Here’s a link to the full article in the Atlantic - http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-connection-between-good-nutrition-and-good-cognition/251227/; and here is a link to the abstract in the scientific journal entitled Neurology - http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2011/12/28/WNL.0b013e3182436598.abstract?sid=22557f7c-d732-4ce6-a48f-a4bd08316626
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