Intermittent fasting promotes brain health

[Guest guest]

Intermittent fasting promotes brain health

Wednesday, March 07, 2012 by: Bosmier

http://www.naturalnews.com/035166_intermittent_fasting_brain_health_calories.htm\

l#ixzz1oSQktnOa

(NaturalNews) According to a new study carried out at the National Institute

on Aging 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 s 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.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.guardian.co.uk

http://www.todayonline.com

http://www.scientificamerican.com

Learn more:

http://www.naturalnews.com/035166_intermittent_fasting_brain_health_calories.htm\

l#ixzz1oSQtGWHx