Healthy Brain – 5 friendly tips for a healthy brain

I hope this paper does not get into the hands of corporate recruiters ! This research paper published by University of California in Los Angeles ( UCLA), stated that obese people had 8% less brain tissue than average people. In other words, obese person’s brain was 16 years older than the average individual. This also implies that our waistline is inversely proportional to our intelligence. Before one takes this report too seriously, let me clarify that this study by Mr. Paul Thompson included only people in their late 70’s. Thus the percentage of brain tissue loss may not be similar to other age groups. It will also be illogical to say that a person of thinner waistline is more has more intellect compare to an obese individual, because what matters is how we use our brain ! Scientists are of the conclusion that Einstein used 2 % more of his brain than an average individual. Human brain was & still is an enigma to the world of science, but with newer technologies , some facts of this wonderful organ is established beyond doubt:

1. It’s not our genes that decide the life & quality of our brain (brain cells)
2. Brain cells do not necessarily decline with age at the same rate for all individuals.
3. Even though there is a self repair mechanism for damaged cells, neurons cannot divide & reproduce themselves.
4. Brain health is directly related to heart health.

The third point is related to UCLA research. Almost 20% of the blood pumped by the heart directly goes to the brain, thus when the functioning of the heart gets affected, it’s the brain that gets hit the hardest. When the arteries become smaller due to fat deposits, the blood flow to the heart is affected & this in turn affects the brain health. So all this is leading us back to the lifestyle choices & the kind of food we eat. We can safely assume that an obese individual has more fat deposited in the arteries & therefore come to a conclusion that being obese for long will certainly reduce the capacity of the brain.

How can we reduce the damage to brain cells?  These are 5 friendly tips for a healthy brain:

• Eat healthy: Since we have already established that health of heart is directly associated to health of brain, let’s eat heart heat healthy food. The previous article in this blog on vegetarian diet, good cholesterol, nuts & fruits should give sufficient inputs on this. A simple guide to heart healthy food will be to eat food rich in beta carotene.  Garlic reduces blood pressure, reduces bad cholesterol & strengthens heart. Sty fry garlic in olive oil to remove the strong odor & simply swallow them! Not eating breakfast reduces blood sugar levels which also affects the brain negatively. A medical school in Japan found out most students who failed to get their medical license had a habit of skipping breakfast.
• Quit smoking: Smoking is a sure brain killer. A group of French scientists exposed rats to nicotine for one hour a day, after 42 days all the rats were brain dead. This also proves the harmful effect of passive smoking. Read the entire article here.
• Sleep well:  Our brain does the maximum repair of its damages cells during sleep, thus lack of sleep would mean more dead cells in the brain & gradually a smaller brain!Unlike most other body organs which can recover with rest, brains recover best only when we are in a state of deep sleep. Read sleep secret 1& sleep secrets 2 to learn more about getting better sleep.
• Stress: Stress is another big brain damager. In US, researchers found out that body produces many new brain cells during a stressfully situation, but most of these new cells die within 1 weeks. Clinical explanation is that when we are stressed, our body produces a chemical called “cortisol”. Too much of that kills brain cells. Exercise is the best way to reduce stress. Read the complete article on reducing stress here.
• Build your brain reserve. Our brains have the ability to develop new neurons at any age. Building more neurons is like making the brain denser. Good social life, seeking newer knowledge, having a hobby, solving puzzles are some of the best ways of building these neurons. Click here to read special brain exercises.

Contrary to many beliefs, alcohol does not cause damage to brain cells, however chronic alcohol abuse does have an impact on brain health. Further study into the subject pointed to the fact that it was not the alcohol directly, but lack of vitamin b complex resulting from alcohol abuse that led to the damage of brain cells. Talking of beverage, one cannot overemphasize the importance of water towards maintaining good brain health.  Many parts of the brain draw energy from water. Dehydrated brains will also severely affect the functioning capacity of neurons.

When we talk of health & beauty, mostly it is the face & body below. Even though our brain is only 2 % of our body weight, it consumes 20% of the energy.  It time we spend some time & energy in  taking care of this energy hungry organ.