Your Brain Is What You Eat

Faithful readers of SportsGeezer will recall the excellent reporting in Part One of Science News’ two-part series, Buff and Brainy, which described the benefits of exercise to the brain. Now Part Two of the same series is upon us, and its reporting on how different foods influence brain function is fascinating, and, for cheeseburger fans, frightening. Like Part One, Part Two extols the still vaguely mysterious virtues of BDNF –brain-derived neurotrophic factor–, whose production is increased by exercise, and, as we learn in this piece, also by certain foods, such as the famed omega-3 fatty acids that are found in many cold-water fish. In one experiment, rats that had suffered (been given) blows the brain were run through a maze, and rats that had eaten omega-3 rich diets found their way faster than those who had not. Other tests have shown that DHA- a complex blend of fish oils, appears to reduce deposits of a waxy protein called beta-amyloid that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. Conversely, the Science News piece reports that diets high in fat and sugar seemed to make rats dumber. To learn how that might work, read the piece. Good stuff.