Fats that are good for the brain

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Fats that are good for the brain

 

 

Want to pass your examinations? Eat fish! BBC News reported that students in

towns with large universities and colleges in Britain are consuming more

cold-water fish during examination season.

Cold-water fish such as tuna, cod, plaice and mackerel contains omega-3 fatty

acids which are claimed to be brain food to help boost performance.

Our brain and nerve cells (neurons) have a very high concentration of fatty

acids that are predominantly long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs). The

most abundant of these LCPs are arachidonic acid (AA), an omega-6 fatty acid and

docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid.

Brain function is based on the rapid transmission of electrical impulses from

one neuron to another. Each neuron has one axon, and it communicates with

another nerve cell by transmitting signals from the branches at the end of its

axon. The fatty sheath around the axons is very rich in DHA that speeds up

conduction of electrical impulses by a factor of 50 compared to unsheathed

axons.

Medical and nutritional evidence show that adequate LCPs are essential both

during pregnancy and in early infancy for normal development of the brain and

nerve function, and retina, for vision. A deficiency in these LCPs not only

causes poor or abnormal development of brain and eye function but has also been

linked to a higher vulnerability in heart disease and high blood pressure in

adult life.

A shortage of these LCPs appears to be the root cause of certain learning

disorders such as dyslexia. People with dyslexia have major problem with

spelling, reading correctly and in translating letters into sounds. Generally

their handwriting and short term memory would also be poor. According to a June

22 report in New Sunday Times, there are some 500,000 dyslexic children in

Malaysia.

A study done on dyslexic children by Dr Richardson of Oxford University found

that fatty acid levels of dyslexics were much lower than non-dyslexics, and the

greater the deficiency in LCPs, the more severe the reading and spelling

problems, and memory.

Clinical trials using a patented mixture of high-DHA fish oil, arachidonic acid,

evening primrose oil, vitamin E and thyme oil in the Royal Berkshire Hospital

Dyslexic Children Study showed children made vast reading gains and overall

improved learning ability.

Studies indicate that not only children suffer the consequences of long chain

polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency. Alzheimer's sufferers have half the

normal level of DHA in their brains. It has been demonstrated that patients with

Alzheimer's disease who receive supplements of essential fatty acids in the

proper ratio of 4:1 for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids respectively show

improved mood, appetite, sleep, ability to navigate in the home, and short-term

memory.

Our brain is made up of 60 per cent fat and LCPs are continually being replaced

in cell membranes. In order to optimise brain function, include food sources

rich in the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in your diet such as flaxseed,

walnut, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seed and eat sardine, mackerel, herring,

trout, cod, salmon or tuna two or three times a week.

To correct LCPs deficiency, supplement with a combination of high-DHA fish oil,

arachidonic acid and evening primrose oil available in capsule form.

Yam Cher Seng, a pharmacist, heads the Bio-Life Health Advisory Panel that

organises health talks and the dissemination of natural healthcare and holistic

therapies. For details call 03-7728-7407 (Monday-Friday) or e-mail healthcare@

biolife.com.my

 

 

 

 

 

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