A Brain Healthy Diet

When phospholipids have been destroyed by oxidative stress or though some other mechanism, they must be replaced if the cell membrane is not to fail. The replacement phospholipids come from two sources; they are either derived from the diet, or must be manufactured in the liver. Unfortunately, levels of phospholipids in the diet have fallen markedly in the last century, as the main sources of these compounds - crude, cold-pressed vegetable oils and offal meats - have largely disappeared from the food chain. Eggs, the other main source, have been stigmatized as sources of salmonella and cholesterol, and as a result egg consumption fell throughout the 1990s. It was only in 2000 that the egg industry started to try to compensate for this with programs of disease eradication and health promotion.

Under normal circumstances, it is possible to compensate for a dietary lack of phospholipids by manufacturing them in the liver, from simple precursors (molecules from which another molecule or tissue is found) such as glycerol and the fatty acids. This is quite a complex synthesis which requires at least five co-factors (micronutrients and methyl groups), together with an adequate supply of the different types of fatty acids including the omega 3 polyunsaturates. The modern diet tends to be depleted in all of these, and as a result the ability of the liver to produce phospho­lipids is often less than satisfactory. This is demonstrated by the high numbers of people with fatty livers (where fats accumulate because they cannot be made into the more soluble phospho­lipids) and/or low levels of HDL cholesterol, which consists largely of liver-derived phospholipids.

Perhaps now we can begin to understand why Alzheimer's is a disease of old age. There is considerable evidence that as we age, the degree and extent of Type B malnutrition tends to worsen. Poverty, loss of teeth, appetite and the sense of taste, and difficul­ties in swallowing conspire so that with every passing decade our diets and intakes of the many vital micro- and phytonutrients become progressively compromised.

We become progressively more depleted both in the factors needed to slow the breakdown of phospholipids (broadly, the antioxidants), and the co-factors needed to make new ones. This imbalance leads to a progressive loss of critical structural elem­ents in the nerve cell membranes, which become dysfunctional and then begin to die. Nerves which use acetylcholine have spe­cific requirements and properties that make them especially vul­nerable - which is probably why these nerve cells die first.

Genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's are also known, of course, as they are for every disease; but the fundamental truth - and one acknowledged by increasing numbers of neuroscientists - is that the vast majority of us do not have to lose brain cells as we get older, if we provide the nutrients that the brain needs to main­tain itself.

But it is not all a matter of nutrition. There is evidence that depressive illness is a risk factor for Alzheimer's. This is thought to be because, during depression, the stress hormone cortisol increases in the blood to levels which damage nerve cells and the brain itself - a process which tends to worsen with age.

Chronic stress boosts levels of Cortisol in a very similar way, which is why when you are very stressed you become more for­getful. Learning a stress-reduction technique, therefore, may be equally important in maintaining a full count of brain cells.

Cooking your own food, from fresh ingredients, provides a way of improving your micronutrient intake and de-stressing at the same time. Sadly, eating at home seems to be going out of style. As more of us eat out, increasing numbers of houses are being built in the US and latterly in Britain without kitchens, with just space for a freezer and a microwave. But do we really want more fast food? Perhaps what we really need is slow food...

Essential Oils

There are two families of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega 6 and omega 3. Like vitamins, these oils are essential for the healthy functioning of every cell in our body, but our body can't produce them - they must be gained from what we eat. Omega 6 is found in many vegetable oils, and at high levels in evening primrose oil, borage and blackcurrant seed oil. Omega 3 is found in oily fish such as salmon, trout, herring and mackerel.

Try this: Wild Salmon Oatcakes are packed with cardio-protective ingredients. Salmon is rich in omega 3 oils, oats can lower total blood cholesterol and eggs increase the level of 'good' HDL cholesterol. They're great for dinner, or eat them cold for lunch the next day.

Source: The Brain Diet: The Connection Between Nutrition, Mental Health, and Intelligence: Alan C. Logan