Intermittent fasting promotes
brain health.
According to a new study carried out at the National Institute on Ageing
in Baltimore, fasting for one or two days each week may help improve
the condition of individuals suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Researchers have found that stopping nearly all food intake for short
periods of time triggers a protection mechanism within the brain which
also works against the effects of neurodegenerative disorders.
Calorie intake impacts the brain
Professor Mark Mattson, lead author of the study and professor of
neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
explained at the American Association for the Advancement of Science
in Vancouver that "reducing your calorie intake could help your brain, but
doing so by cutting your intake of food is not likely to be the best method
of triggering this protection. It is likely to be better to go on intermittent
bouts of fasting, in which you eat hardly anything at all, and then have
periods when you eat as much as you want. In other words, timing
appears to be a crucial element to this process."
The science team lead by Dr. Mattson discovered that reducing food
intake to approximately 500 calories per fasting day yields optimal
effects and can significantly improve long-term cognitive function.
Foods that may safely be consumed during fasting days include
an assortment of fiber-rich vegetables, unsweetened tea and water.
That calorie restriction has beneficial effect on human health and
may even prolong life span is no real news. The first research into
calorie restrictive diets dates back to 1934, when a Cornell University
researcher noticed that guinea pigs that were fed a calorie restrictive
diet maintained higher nutrient levels and lived twice as much when
compared to regular guinea pigs. Later on, Dr. Roy Walford of UCLA
investigated calorie restriction in greater detail, revealing that such a
diet has the potential to improve a range of age-related diseases, as
well as help the dieter maintain a more youthful appearance.
Fasting is like 'exercising your brain muscles'
The scientific community is now interested in looking at the
neuro-protective potential of calorie restriction. Researchers
such as Dr. Mattson are convinced that fasting not only extends life-span,
but also delays the onset of many conditions affecting the brain. Mattson
explained that according to research, chemicals involved in the growth
of brain cells are significantly boosted when food intake is dramatically
reduced.
"The cells of the brain are put under mild stress that is analogous to the
effects of exercise on muscle cells. The overall effect is beneficial,"
said Dr. Mattson, who believes there's a very sound evolutionary
explanation for why our brains behave like this when deprived of food.
"When resources became scarce, our ancestors would have had to
scrounge for food. Those whose brains responded best, who remembered
where promising sources could be found or recalled how to avoid predators
would have been the ones who got the food. Thus a mechanism linking
periods of starvation to neural growth would have evolved."
Dr. Mattson draws on previous studies which analyzed the impact of fasting
on general health. The next step for his team is to look at the effects of
fasting on the brain using MRI scans and other computerized investigative
techniques. If a definitive link between fasting and brain health can be
scientifically established, Mattson believes that most people could
significantly boost brain function simply going throughtwo days
of "intermittent energy restriction" each week.
in Baltimore, fasting for one or two days each week may help improve
the condition of individuals suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Researchers have found that stopping nearly all food intake for short
periods of time triggers a protection mechanism within the brain which
also works against the effects of neurodegenerative disorders.
Calorie intake impacts the brain
Professor Mark Mattson, lead author of the study and professor of
neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
explained at the American Association for the Advancement of Science
in Vancouver that "reducing your calorie intake could help your brain, but
doing so by cutting your intake of food is not likely to be the best method
of triggering this protection. It is likely to be better to go on intermittent
bouts of fasting, in which you eat hardly anything at all, and then have
periods when you eat as much as you want. In other words, timing
appears to be a crucial element to this process."
The science team lead by Dr. Mattson discovered that reducing food
intake to approximately 500 calories per fasting day yields optimal
effects and can significantly improve long-term cognitive function.
Foods that may safely be consumed during fasting days include
an assortment of fiber-rich vegetables, unsweetened tea and water.
That calorie restriction has beneficial effect on human health and
may even prolong life span is no real news. The first research into
calorie restrictive diets dates back to 1934, when a Cornell University
researcher noticed that guinea pigs that were fed a calorie restrictive
diet maintained higher nutrient levels and lived twice as much when
compared to regular guinea pigs. Later on, Dr. Roy Walford of UCLA
investigated calorie restriction in greater detail, revealing that such a
diet has the potential to improve a range of age-related diseases, as
well as help the dieter maintain a more youthful appearance.
Fasting is like 'exercising your brain muscles'
The scientific community is now interested in looking at the
neuro-protective potential of calorie restriction. Researchers
such as Dr. Mattson are convinced that fasting not only extends life-span,
but also delays the onset of many conditions affecting the brain. Mattson
explained that according to research, chemicals involved in the growth
of brain cells are significantly boosted when food intake is dramatically
reduced.
"The cells of the brain are put under mild stress that is analogous to the
effects of exercise on muscle cells. The overall effect is beneficial,"
said Dr. Mattson, who believes there's a very sound evolutionary
explanation for why our brains behave like this when deprived of food.
"When resources became scarce, our ancestors would have had to
scrounge for food. Those whose brains responded best, who remembered
where promising sources could be found or recalled how to avoid predators
would have been the ones who got the food. Thus a mechanism linking
periods of starvation to neural growth would have evolved."
Dr. Mattson draws on previous studies which analyzed the impact of fasting
on general health. The next step for his team is to look at the effects of
fasting on the brain using MRI scans and other computerized investigative
techniques. If a definitive link between fasting and brain health can be
scientifically established, Mattson believes that most people could
significantly boost brain function simply going throughtwo days
of "intermittent energy restriction" each week.
http://www.naturalnews.com/035166_intermittent_fasting_brain_health_calories.html
About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher,
About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher,
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