Too much processed fructose harms the brain
It is a long-known fact that too much food with too much fructose harms the body by so the ideal conditions for diabetes, obesity and fatty liver. But what does this mean for your brain? Researchers studied the effects of high-fructose corn syrup, similar to the High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), a cheap sweetener, six times sweeter than cane sugar, which is used in most soft drinks, processed foods and spices and even in baby food.
This new study from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) showed how a steady diet high fructose may impair memory and learning ability.The aim of the study was the effects of the intake of these super-processed, concentrated form of fructose, which is very different from the natural fructose in fruits.
They fed rats with a fructose solution in the drinking water for six weeks, then tested their ability to recall its old maze-way out of the cage. Die Ergebnisse erregten die Aufmerksamkeit der Forscher.
Too much sugar affects the brain.
The rats that were fed with fructose syrup, showed a significant impairment of their cognitive skills- she struggled to remember her way out of the maze.
Overall, they were slower and their brains show a decline in synaptic activity. Your brain cells has trouble distinguishing the signaling and this interfered with the ability of rats to think clearly and to remember the routes that they had previously practiced six weeks.
Moreover, the fructose-fed rats with signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels and synaptic function in their brains. Since insulin is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, it can trigger neurological processes that are important for learning and memory skills.
Omega-3 fatty acids promote the brain functions.
A second group of rats get Omega-3 fatty acids in the form of linseed and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), in addition to the rich fructose diet. After six weeks of this group of rats was able to the go through maze better and faster to than the rats that were fed only fructose. The researchers concluded that DNA provides protection against the harmful effects of fructose on the brain.
DHA is responsible for synaptic function and helps the brain cells find transmit signals that allow the mechanism of learning and memory. The body can not produce enough DHA, so it must be implemented through the diet.
Drug treatment of diabetes is not the right response to the diabetes epidemic.
Skyrocketing obesity goes hand in hand with escalating Diabetes Type II. This makes perfect sense when you consider that the two problems have the same primary cause: The insulin resistance , which is caused by excessive consumption of fructose. Most conventional doctors have their first prescription pad to pull out, use this as a first line of defense against diabetes.
But what can be done in order to slow down this train obesity, which seems to be out of control? The obesity epidemic is different from naturally occurring epidemics, since it was created entirely by humans. The good news is, the man himself has the potential to cause a reversal, beginning with the expansion of consciousness about the seriousness of this problem.
1. Protect against obesity and diabetes through a healthy lifestyle.
Whether you need an easy diet change or a fundamental change in your diet plan. Here are some basic strategies are listed, you can already implemented in order to escape the “way of the Food madness”:
Avoid as much sugar as possible.
This is especially important if you are overweight or have diabetes or pre-diabetes, have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Limit your fructose intake on to 25 grams per day. If you occasionally want to use a sweetener, you should plant the stevia use or organic cane sugar or organic honey, and this, too, in moderation. Avoid agave , which is included in most commercial products that have been highly processed. Consume your sugar best in conjunction with fibers. Fibers will help to slow the absorption of sugar. The perfect sweet food is a piece of fruit that contains fiber and beneficial antioxidants.
2. Eat a balanced diet, tailored to your specific body type, rich in:
- Raw
- Fresh organic produce
- Organic meat and milk products
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Naturally fermented foods.
3. Avoid processed foods.
The same is true for GM foods and foods with added chemicals.
4. Get plenty of quality omega-3 fats.
From vegetable or animal sources. As the study has shown above, omega-3 fats are essential to modulate the deleterious effects of sugar and have many other advantages. The favored omega-3 source for you is krill oil.
5. Optimize your Vitamin D blood levels.
6. Move every day.
- Exercise improves insulin sensitivity
- Reduces stress and cortisol level
- Suppresses ghrelin-education(the appetite-stimulating hormone)
- Speeds up your metabolism
- Strengthens bones
- Lifts your mood.