Chapter 2: The Science Behind Brain Function Improvement
Scientists have proven that it is possible to boost brain health and brain power. Of course, if it were not possible, there wouldn’t have been any reason to write this book. Food and exercise, in particular, have been pinpointed by scientists as two things that have the ability to enhance brain power and brain health. In this chapter, we’ll explore the scientific explanations regarding how food and exercise help to improve brain health and brain power.
The Link Between Food and Brain Health
The mantra, “we are what we eat,” isn’t far from the truth. Nutrition plays a vital role in various parts of our body, including our emotions and brain health. The brain is always functioning, even when you’re sleeping. The implication of this is that it needs a constant supply of energy. The fuel it needs to handle all of its activities comes from the food you eat. Therefore, the content of the fuel matters. What you eat affects the function and structure of your brain. Ultimately, this affects the functioning of your body parts and also your mood.
According to the Harvard Medical School, your brain is like an expensive car that only works at its maximum when it gets premium fuel. Therefore, it’s crucial that you eat high-quality foods that contain the nutrients the brain needs, such as minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. These nutrients nourish and protect the brain from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a product of free radicals (wastes) that are produced when the body uses oxygen, which damages body cells. Sadly, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you use any other thing apart from premium fuel.
If you ingest substances from “low premium” fuel, such as what is obtainable from processed or refined foods, your brain has little ability to get rid of them when they get to it. For example, diets that are high in refined sugars are harmful to the brain. Moreover, they can worsen your body’s regulation of insulin, which promotes oxidative stress and inflammation. Research has shown that there is a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function. These foods can also worsen the symptoms of mood disorders such as depression.
If you deprive your brain of high-quality nutrition and it builds up free radicals, you can be certain that it will lead to damages that will affect both brain health and brain functions. When damaging inflammatory cells circulate with the enclosed space of the brain, it can contribute to brain tissue injury, thereby impairing brain power and brain health. According to the medical school, the field of medicine didn’t acknowledge the link between food and mood, which is surprising in the light of recent studies and findings. The story is different today as the burgeoning field of nutritional psychiatry has discovered that there are many consequences and correlations between what you eat, your feelings, and how you behave.
The Link Between Food and Emotional Intelligence
Foods can affect your emotional intelligence, which is your ability to respond in a coordinated manner rather than based on your feelings. This happens due to the activities of a neurotransmitter in the brain known as serotonin. This neurotransmitter regulates sleep and appetite. It also mediates moods and helps in the inhibition of pain. About 95% of your serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract. Meanwhile, this tract is lined with a hundred million nerve cells. So, the inner workings of your digestive tract do more than digesting food. It also guides your emotions.
The functions of serotonin are guided by the billions of beneficial bacteria inhabiting your intestine. These bacteria are essential in the maintenance of your health. They are responsible for the protection of the lining of your intestines and ensuring that the intestines have a strong barrier against harmful bacteria and toxins. They also limit inflammation and improve the absorption of nutrients from food. They also activate neural pathways that travel between the brain and the gut.
Research has proven that people that eat traditional diets such as the Mediterranean diet are less likely to suffer from depression. People who eat typical Western diets are 25% to 30% more likely to suffer from a mood disorder like depression. The investigators explained that the reason for this difference is that traditional diets are rich in vegetables, fish, unprocessed grains, fruits, seafood, and only modest amounts of dairy and lean meats. They are also devoid of refined foods and sugars, which are the staples of Western diets.
You can investigate these claims by eating only Western foods for a month and write how you felt in your journal. Then switch diets in the next month. Eat only traditional foods in the next month and compare how you feel with the previous month. You would notice that the difference is clear. So, when you eat high-quality foods, you will not only boost your brain health and brain power, but you’ll also improve your emotional intelligence.
The Link Between Exercise and Brain Health
According to the Cleveland Clinic, every time you take a walk, pedal a mile, and for every lap you swim around the pool, you’re boosting your cognitive abilities. Studies have proven that exercise doesn’t only affect the body; it also affects your brain. According to Aaron Bonner-Jackson, a neuropsychologist, physical activities make a major difference in both body and brain functioning. So, when you’re working out, don’t only focus on the bodily benefit of the activity; you should also be conscious about the fact that it’s beneficial to your brain health.
In a study involving 454 older adults who underwent yearly physical exams and cognitive tests for twenty years, the participants agreed to donate their brains for research when they died. They were given accelerometers to track their movement and physical activity around the clock. The study showed that those who moved more had higher scores when their memory and thinking were measured. The study also showed that physically active participants were at lower risk of suffering dementia by 31% when compared with others. Even when the investigators accounted for the participants’ brain pathology, the result was still consistent.
In another study involving 160 sedentary older people with mild cognitive impairment, the result was similar. The participants were assigned to take part in aerobic exercise, eat a heart-healthy Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, receive health education, or combine aerobic exercise with the DASH diet. The study lasted for six months. The researchers discovered that those who followed only the DASH diet didn’t improve when their executive function (problem-solving, decision-making) was evaluated. As for the group that only received health education, their function worsened. However, the participants that combined the diet with exercise showed remarkable improvement in their ability to think and memory.
As we conclude this chapter, the summary is that you need a combination of high-quality food and exercise to optimize your brain health and brain power. There’s no specific thing that enhances brain power and brain health. It’s often a combination of various things. In the next section, we’ll explore more tips that can help you train your brain.