There is a significant gut-brain connection meaning that you can improve your mental performance through the foods that you eat. There has been conflicting advice on what’s good for us and what we should avoid. For example, eggs were once thought to be a perfect food, then received bad press due to its high saturated fat content, only to be resurrected over the last few years. Mixed messages have made it increasingly confusing to determine what we need to eat in order to nourish ourselves and remain at peak health. This article will guide you through the maze of mixed messages to help you understand the gut-brain connection and how a balanced nutritious diet can help with mental performance.
Over the last 3 decades fats have been labelled as ‘bad’ and as a result we have become fat phobic. A whole diet industry sprung up with food manufacturers creating artificial fat-free, high-carbohydrate alternatives turning us into carb addicts. Yet our bodies do not cope well on large amounts of carbs even if those carbs are gluten-free, whole grain and high in fibre. It is true that some fats are simply not good for us. For example artificial trans fats found in processed food and refined commercial oils like safflower, corn, canola, sunflower and soybean oil. These fats are inflammatory in the body and contribute to chronic disease.
So what’s in and what’s out?
Omega-3
Our ancestors used to consume a diet with an omega-3 and omega-6 ratio of 1:1. Today most people consume ten to twenty times as much omega-6 to omega-3. Omega-3 can be increased by eating more wild seafood and grass-fed lamb, beef and game meats. Animals that are fed grains like corn and soybeans do not have adequate levels of omega-3 so always opt for grass fed meat.
Fats
Our brains thrive on ‘good fats’ and cholesterol is actually one of these. There have been several studies that have found a link between total cholesterol and cognitive function. Research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2012 revealed that older people who fill their plates with mostly carbohydrates were 3.6 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is considered a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. MCI include problems with language, memory, thinking and judgement. The same study also found that those who ate the highest diet in fat were 42 percent less likely to face cognitive impairment, and those with the highest intake of good quality protein from healthy sources like chicken, meat and fish, had a reduced risk of 21 percent.
“A high carbohydrate intake could be bad for you because carbohydrates impact your glucose and insulin metabolism,” Dr. Roberts says. “Sugar fuels the brain — so moderate intake is good. However, high levels of sugar may actually prevent the brain from using the sugar — similar to what we see with type 2 diabetes.”
Other neurological issues have been reported with a low fat intake. A report published by the National Institute of Health compared memory function in elderly individuals to their cholesterol levels. Interestingly what they found was that people who did not already have dementia had much better memory function if they had high cholesterol levels. The conclusion of the report crisply stated: ‘High Cholesterol is associated with better memory function’.
The gut-brain connection
Dr. Campbell-McBride, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) explains how there is a close connection between abnormal gut flora and abnormal brain development. She believes that children are born with perfectly normal brains and sensory organs, but once their digestive system becomes a source of toxicity instead of nourishment, they start developing symptoms including autism. The bacteria living in your gut are an active and integrated part of your body and are vulnerable to a diet high in processed foods and sweetened drinks as they are typically loaded with sugar. A regular intake of processed food destroys healthy bacteria and feeds the opportunistic bacteria and yeast. The sensitive balance of good bacteria can also be compromised by antibiotics, agricultural chemicals and pollution, which virtually all of us are exposed to at least occasionally.
The good news is that you can optimise your gut bacteria and significantly improve the health between the gut-brain connection incorporating unpasteurised traditional fermented foods into your daily diet like fermented vegetables, kefir, and yoghurt. Supplementing with a good quality multi-strain probiotic may also be needed.
It is interesting that just as you have neurons in your brain, you also have neurons in your gut which produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is involved in mood control, depression, and aggression. In fact, the greatest concentration of serotonin is actually found in your gut which can be massively influenced by diet alone.
There is increasingly more evidence that neurological changes, psychology and behaviour are all influenced by the gut and that bacteria play a significant role. Looking after your brain is easy through the gut-brain connection. Choose omega-3 rich food instead of carbohydrates, eat fermented foods, and occasionally take a good quality probiotic supplement. Not only will your digestion improve but you will see improvement in things like brain fog, mental performance, anxiety and depression.
Sources:-
Better memory functioning associated with higher total and LDL cholesterol levels in very elderly subjects without the APOE4 allele Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. Sep 2008;16(9):781-785.
Campbell-McBride, N. 2010 GAPS Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Medinform Publishing, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Carrie Arnold, “Gut feelings: the future of psychiatry may be inside your stomach,” The Verge, August 21, 2013,http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/21/4595712/gut-feelings-the-future-of-psychiatry-may-be-inside-your-stomach.
Mayo Clinic. “Eating lots of carbs, sugar may raise risk of cognitive impairment.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 October 2012. .
Gedguadas, N.T. 2009 Primal Body, Primal Mind, Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vermont
Perlmutter, D. 2013 Grain Brain, Little, brown and Company, New York.
Rachel Champeau, “Changing gut bacteria through diet affects brain function, UCLA study shows,” UCLA Newsroom, May 28, 2013,http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/changing-gut-bacteria-through-245617.aspx
