The neurophysiologists have been ringing the alarm lately, as the so-called age-related neurobiological changes in the brain associated with aging have increasingly begun to be observed in people of a younger age who are not even fifty.
The results of a study conducted by American and British scientists led by Lilianne Mujica-Parodi of Stony Brook State University of New York suggest that a carbohydrate-rich food that forms the basis of nutrition in Western countries is one of the reasons for this change.
In order to better understand how diet affects brain aging, the scientists have developed a biomarker system that takes into account both neurocognitive and physiological parameters, such as insulin resistance. The main among the factors was the brain neural network stability reflecting the steadiness of connections between different regions of the brain.
The experiments have proved that this brain aging biomarker correlates with the predominant type of “fuel” that the body uses in metabolic processes: the gluco decreases and ketones increase the stability of brain networks. All series of experiments with a standard diet or diet enriched with one or another type of “fuel” just confirmed the results.
It turned out that with age a high-carbohydrate diet destabilizes the functional connection between brain regions which causes deterioration in cognitive perception.
The study involved about a thousand people aged 18 to 88 years. The observed destabilization of brain networks is associated with impaired cognitive function and it accelerates in type 2 diabetes, a disease that blocks the ability of neurons to efficiently metabolize glucose.
“What we found in these experiments includes both bad and good news,” Lilianne Mujika-Parodi, professor of biomedical engineering at Stony Brook University, quoted in a press release. - The bad news is that we see the first signs of brain aging in younger people. The good news, however, is that we can prevent or reverse these effects through diet, to mitigate the effects of metabolic disorders by replacing glucose with ketones as fuel for neurons.”
The results show that such preventive measures can be especially effective if one starts eating healthy at the pre-symptom stage by minimizing the consumption of simple carbohydrates.
“We believe that with age, the brain begins to lose its ability to metabolize glucose efficiently, causing slow neuronal starvation and destabilization of brain networks,” says Mujica-Parodi. - A more efficient fuel source in the form of ketones can provide the brain with more energy. This added energy stabilizes brain networks even in young people.”
A low-carb diet can reverse age-related changes in the brain, scientists believe. For that you need to eat more meat or fish with a salad but without cereals, rice or starchy vegetables.
Source: https://ria.ru/20200305/1568212989.html
Photos are from open sources.
