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Fri, Jul-20-18 11:32 |
3 Foods You Probably Eat That Are Dangerous For Your Brain According To Science
Quote:
Forbes
19 July, 2018
3 Foods You Probably Eat That Are Dangerous For Your Brain According To Science
Seven years ago, Max Lugavere was sitting at the dinner table when he asked his mother to pass the salt. The simple request should have take a fraction of a second, but it took his mother three or four. Those were the first signs that something was wrong. Within a few months, he and his brother found out that their mother had a form of dementia that was slowly decimating her cognitive functions.
Lugavere spent the next decade trying to understand what led this otherwise healthy woman to develop dementia, and if he was also at risk through some hereditary characteristic. Using his skills as a journalist, Lugavere traveled the world to track down experts who could shed some light and learned that the biggest contributor to his mother’s condition may have come from an unexpected source--food.
When it comes to food, there are countless theories about what’s healthy and unhealthy. However, as Lugavere soon discovered, even people who called themselves experts, often don’t use evidence-based research and are under trained on nutrition. Partnering with doctors and researchers, Lugavere created an evidence based owner’s manual for the human brain and food called Genius Foods, co-written with internal medicine physician and weight loss expert Paul Grewal, MD.
Lugavere’s research uncovered that these three foods are silent killers:
1. Fast-Burning Carbs
It might be obvious to avoid high-carb food like sugar-filled beverages and junk food, but a saltine or a wheat thin can be just as dangerous. They are broken down incredibly quickly by the body, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar. As a response, your body produces insulin to regulate blood sugar levels, but over time the consistent consumption of fast-burning carbs can cause insulin to become chronically elevated, says Lugavere. He cites research estimating that up to 40% of Alzheimer's cases may be triggered by chronically elevated insulin.
2. Unhealthy Industrial Oils
Many cooking oils are made with an assembly line of chemical processes, which makes them unhealthy. For example, the processing used to create canola oil produces trans fats and aldehydes.
According to Lugavere and Dr. Grewal, there is no safe level of trans fat consumption. In fact, trans fats have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease, dementia and even death from any cause. The FDA has recently banned them, but they still lurk in these oils.
Aldehydes are poisonous to the mitochondria, the energy generating portions of your cells. Put simply, it hurts the brain's ability to produce energy. Other industrial oils to avoid are corn, soybean and grapeseed oils. Healthier alternatives include extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil.
3. Processed Food Additives
Emulsifiers are put into foods like ice cream, certain nut milks, and coffee creamers to give them a smooth and creamy feel. Lugavere is quick to point out that not all are recognized as unhealthy. The key is to look out for these chemical additives: Polysorbate-80 and Carboxymethylcellulose.
Research has shown that these additives can drive inflammation and disrupt metabolism. Since Alzheimer’s coincides with metabolic dysfunction in the brain and often, the body, or shrinkage in the brain, avoiding emulsifiers with those additives, Lugavere deduces, is essential to brain health.
Some medical conditions may seem like a biological inevitability, but the solution may be as simple as switching out the foods that you eat on a day-to-day basis. Avoiding these three common culprits in food can help you stay physically and mentally healthy.
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonlev...e/#4084d5235498 |
