An unhealthy Western diet characterized by meat, hamburgers, French fries, and soft drinks may cause a shrinkage in the hippocampus on the left side of the brain. However, a healthy diet of vegetables and fish may increase the size of the hippocampus.
In a study of more than 250 people, the researchers found that during the four-year study, the difference in volume between the healthy and unhealthy hippocampus was more than 200 mm3.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the link between the diet and the hippocampus volume found in humans, consistent with previous observations of animal data,†wrote a research team led by Dr. Felice N. Jacka. . Dr. Felice N.Jacka is an associate professor at the School of Nutritional Psychiatry at the University of Gironde, Australia, and the President of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research.
They added: "These findings suggest that intervention in diet conditioning has the potential to help improve the health of the hippocampus, reduce atrophy with age, and prevent adverse health risks associated with the hippocampus. â€
"Dietary conditioning and brain health", this study was published on the "BMC Medicine" official website on September 8.
Previous studies have shown that the quality of the diet is related to the mental state and cognitive state of the person. Animal studies have shown that this will change as the hippocampus of the brain changes.
In particular, a high-calorie diet reduces brain-derived neurotrophic factors, which weakens neuronal plasticity, human learning, and behavioral abilities.
In the current study, the researchers examined the data: a questionnaire on the Individual and Life Health Study, completed by 255 people aged 60 to 64 years old, the National Science and Industry Research Organization Diet Frequency Questionnaire.
Participants were divided into two groups - one for: streamlined & healthy diet, diet including fresh vegetables, salads, fruit, grilled fish; another group: Western & non-healthy diets, including grilled meat, sausage, burger, steak, potato Strips, potato chips and soft drinks. The consumption standard for each diet is 11 points, and there is a one-point deviation between the two diets.
In addition, the respondents accepted two T1-weighing three-dimensional structure MRI scans of the left and right hippocampus in the past four years.
Investigators found that every standard deviation in the consumption of light diets rose. The volume of the left hippocampus has increased by 45.7 cubic millimeters (P = .032)
Conversely, in Western dietary consumption, the increase in each standard deviation is independently related to the reduction of the left hippocampus volume by 52.6 cubic millimeters. (P=.05)
Single impact
The effect of diet on hippocampus volume has nothing to do with individual age, gender, education, work status, depressive symptoms, drug effects, physical activity, smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
The left hippocampus volume of healthy and non-healthy dieters was 203 cubic millimeters in size, resulting in a 62% reduction in the mean volume of the left hippocampus during the four-year study period.
Interestingly, there is no practical connection between the size of the right hippocampus and the diet, even if they are not within the scope of the study.
In an interview with Medscape Medical News, Dr. Jcaka pointed out that this study can be observed in natural phenomena, but it cannot be taken for granted that Western diets can cause atrophy in the hippocampus of the brain.
But she said: "However, there are many studies in animals that show that diets rich in fat and refined sugar are very negative for brain proteins used to protect neurons from oxidation and strengthen new neurons in the hippocampus. effect."
“Similarly, many studies have shown that foods that are strongly antioxidant or lipid-protecting can contribute to the growth of these proteins than omega-3 fatty acids. There are many studies showing that animals that ingest “junk food†weaken the hippocampus. The unique function of learning and memory."
Importantly, Dr. Jacka believes that shifting from “Western diet†to “streamlined diet†will increase the size of the hippocampus.
She said: "As far as we know, neurotrophin levels and the size and function of the hippocampus are subject to changes in the external environment, including diet and exercise."
“Therefore, there are many reasons to believe that the adverse effects of an unhealthy diet can be weakened by improving the diet, and vice versa.â€
The “Global Burden of Disease†data from the latest medical journal, Then Lancet, is of particular importance – an unhealthy diet leads to premature aging worldwide and global disability caused by mental disorders.
Has a "huge" impact on public health
Dr. Jacka said that there is growing evidence that unhealthy diets are associated with mental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. The results of such research have a huge hint of public health.
First, people have underestimated the effects of unhealthy diets, and they have not considered the effects of unhealthy diets on mental disorders. Second, it tells us that, in any case, this is the first time to propose a clear goal of change - the overall impact of preventing unhealthy diets.
However, it is clear that the role of such measures is very limited by disseminating health information to promote healthier eating patterns to improve health. Do Dr. Jacka think that more people can be persuaded by focusing on mental health?
From a personal point of view, we believe that a discussion of diet from a mental and brain level will trigger a big response. For many people, the risk of heart disease, diabetes, or cancer may only occur in the future. This makes it easier for people to ignore health information and continue to eat junk food, especially when they are young."
She added that by emphasizing the relationship between healthy eating and mental and brain health to spread health information, it is important to know that it is closely related to improving the diet at the moment. "
She said: "The current new understanding of the importance of the digestive tract in physical and mental health allows us to make more explicit dietary recommendations - for example, focusing on fiber and fermented foods, avoiding greasy, polysaccharides, emulsified and artificial sugar foods. This may help people change their diet."
Exciting results
Drew Ramsey, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatric treatment at the Columbia College of Surgeons in New York. The review of Medescape Medical News is - too exciting!
This is the first time that a combination of dietary patterns and specific changes in the brain has been studied. We have long known that diets are linked to most brain disease risks, such as depression and dementia, and the principles behind these connections are believed to be related to how the food affects the brain's neural remodeling process. This is the first time that this principle has been fully demonstrated. â€
Dr. Ramsey also said that nutrition should be combined with mental health treatment practices.
He said: "This is what our medical team has done in the last 5 years."
“We have had a lot of discussions at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association to help clinicians present food treatment to patients in a variety of ways, and to give them confidence. Food is a topic that mental health clinicians should talk about because it The patient plays a big role."
"In my clinical experience, this is not only effective but also a lot of fun, because many of our mental illnesses have a long treatment period, like psychotherapy. Some mental illnesses also cost money, such as medication, but they all have side effects. â€
Dr. Ramsey said: “Food therapy is a very different way – while reducing the risk of mental health symptoms, it allows patients to enhance their ability to take care of themselves. The psychiatrists I have talked to have reached a consensus with me, and It is not difficult to operate."
He believes that the next step is to teach psychiatrists and other mental health experts about nutrition and use it as an important part of medical training.
By talking to patients about nutrition, Dr. Ramsey said: "This is inevitable, and it will definitely see significant results." "We want to make patients fully recover from depression, only through the role of drugs is very small, more often The patient needs to make a big change in lifestyle."
After recording the effective results of one month of antidepressant treatment, he said: "If you can help him change his diet in a month, so the mechanical data and the clinical data we expect to see results show that you can really get very Effective treatment outcomes.
"In my treatment, I have many examples of patients who do not adjust their diet. They do not think that nutrition is related to their mental state, but by adjusting the diet, strengthening self-care, and eating more nutritious foods that are good for the brain, Produced a very significant effect."
Usb Lighter,Electric Arc Lighter,Arc Lighter,Metal Electric Lighter
Wenzhou Xinyu Imp & Exp Co.,Ltd , https://www.somgar.com