Eating Healthy Food Can Keep Mental Disorders At Bay!

By now we know that eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly can keep cardiovascular diseases at bay. But now researchers suggests that regular exercise and healthy diet can also ward off mental disorders.

Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, professor of neurosurgery and physiological at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, “Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain.”

He said, “Diet, exercise and sleep have the potential to alter our brain health and mental function. This raises the exciting possibility that changes in diet are a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive abilities, protecting the brain from damage and counteracting the effects of aging.” Prof. Pinilla has been studying the effects of food, exercise and sleep on the brain from a long period.

The researchers analysed nearly 160 studies about food's affect on the brain and found that consuming omega 3 fatty acids, found in cold-water fish such as salmon and tuna, walnuts and kiwi fruit can provide many health benefits such as improving learning and memory and it also helps in fighting away mental disorders like depressiondefine schizophrenia and dementia.

The omega 3 fatty acid is also responsible for keeping the synapses in the brain healthy, which joins neurons and cause learning and memory.

Adding further he said, "Omega-3 fatty acids support synaptic plasticity and seem to positively affect the expression of several molecules related to learning and memory that are found on synapses. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for normal brain function."

"Dietary deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids in humans has been associated with increased risk of several mental disorders, including attention-deficit disorder, dyslexia, dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids in rodents results in impaired learning and memory," he added.

Prof. Gomez-Pinilla admits that he himself consume omega 3 fatty acids thrice a week.

The researcher says that the studies conducted in England, Australia, and Indonesia found that omega-3 fatty acids may improve children’s school performance in reading and in spelling and fewer behavioural problems.

Though, one can find capsules of omega 3 fatty acids but it would be more beneficial if one get it through natural food source, providing additional nutrients, Gómez-Pinilla said.

The researcher quoted an example of an island in Japan, Okinawa, where people exercise daily and eat more fish and the lifespan is one of the worlds longest. Even the population has fewer cases of mental disorders.

Eating blueberries can prevent the brain from oxidative damage as it is known to have a strong antioxidant capacity, he said.

Gómez-Pinilla cautioned that eating junk food/fast food can negatively affect the brains synapses and if one consumes diet rich in trans-fats and saturated fats than it can negatively affect the brain. He advised people that maintaining a good combination of a healthy diet, exercise and a good night sleep can provide good cognitive benefits.

He also said that another essential nutrient, Folic acid available in spinach, yeast and orange juice is essential for brain function and the deficiency in this essential nutrient can lead to brain disorders such as depression. Folate supplementation prevents cognitive decline and dementia during aging, and enhances the effects of antidepressants.

Adding more of curcumin (principle curcuminoid of the Indian curry spice turmeric) in one’s food can help prevent Alzheimer''s disease and brain trauma.

In year 1996, Laura J. Stevens, of the Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University and colleagues found that young children with decreased levels of omega-3 fatty acids (in their bloodstream) showed more problems with behavior, learning and health than those with higher levels of total omega-3 fatty acids.

The learning specialists now believe that omega-3 fatty acid deficiency does lead to unique symptoms during childhood, including behavioral problems.

Though, omega-3 fatty acids are best known for their heart health benefits but various researches are coming up which shows that omega-3 fatty acids may provide benefits beyond reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as slashing the risk of developing certain cancers, neurological disorders, and complications from metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

A latest research found that eating a healthy diet with high level of minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium can slash down the risk of heart diseases, stroke and high blood pressure -- in short it can increase one’s life expectancy.

Another study found that eating omega-3 fatty acids which is found in some vegetable cooking oils and fish was associated with reduced heart attack risk.