Foods to boost your brain

Looking to boost your brain? Dr Rosemary Stanton looks at how the foods we eat affect not just how we function each day, but how sharp we stay as we get older.

Vanessa Levis

The brain is amazing. It makes up just 2 per cent of our body weight but its endless efforts to direct every bodily function uses up 20-25 per cent of our daily fuel supplies. About two-thirds of this is needed so nerve cells can send signals throughout the body. The rest helps keep the brain cells alive and healthy.

Excess weight, lack of exercise, too much alcohol and type 2 diabetes have ill-effects on the brain. But some foods may help prevent the deterioration that occurs as we grow older.

Carbs

Our brains use glucose for energy, but the cells can’t store it and they need to get 100-125g a day from carbohydrates. Good sources include grains, quinoa, fruit, yoghurt, legumes and potatoes.

Skipping meals can lower blood glucose and interfere with our ability to think clearly and take in new memories. If blood glucose levels fall and we don’t consume carbs, the body can convert some protein from food or muscle tissue to glucose, but the process is inefficient. We can’t turn fat into glucose, but too much carbohydrate from foods such as soft drinks, cakes, biscuits or confectionery triggers the body to turn excess glucose into fat.

Eat smart: Have healthy carbs at each meal – especially at breakfast – to help concentration and memory, but there’s no need to overdo it. A good start would be muesli with fruit and yoghurt or wholegrain toast with baked beans.

Omega-3 fats

Our grandparents branded fish as “brain food”, although they had no idea why. In fact, fish is a top source of an omega-3 fat known as DHA that contributes to the structure of the brain. Research now tells us it makes good brain sense to eat fish once or twice a week. Not only does it boost our DHA levels, but it contains many valuable components – protein, iodine, various minerals and vitamins – that may also aid our brains.

For infants, DHA crosses the placenta in the last weeks of pregnancy and is also present in breastmilk. Enough is enough however, and recent studies in Adelaide show that extra DHA during pregnancy provides no “super” benefits for babies born at full-term, although
it may benefit premature babies.

What about memory? Blood levels of omega-3 fats are low in people with Alzheimer’s disease, but a recent extensive review by top scientists could find no benefits of extra omega 3s for dementia or cognitive function in older people. Many observational studies in Japan and Mediterranean countries, however, show benefits from fish for mental health in older people.

Eat smart: All Australian fish is a good source of omega 3s. Canned salmon, sardines or herrings in your weekly intake will also give your levels a boost. If you’re pregnant, you should refer to the Food Standards of Australia and New Zealand’s recommended intake.

Antioxidants

Oxidation is a process that contributes to the deterioration of brain cells as we age. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, red wine, herbs, spices, chocolate and other plant foods contain literally thousands of different antioxidants, which may counter these effects. While no studies have been able to show specific benefits for the brain from any antioxidant supplement, there’s evidence that diets high in plant foods seem to be associated
with less loss of brain function.

Eat smart: Go Mediterranean! Enjoy extra virgin olive oil, lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices and the odd glass of red.