IS GRAIN CAUSING BRAIN DRAIN?

 Brain Challenges: Scrabble is one of the games that can encourage brain function. ©R. Zachary

Dr.  David Perlmutter spoke on PBS Channel 6 recently. He has written at least two books on the relationship of grains to brain malfunction and degeneration. Perlmutter says the cause is inflammation,  something most people and doctors are not aware of. The inflammation will show up if a brain scan is done.

           

The reason grains are a cause of inflammation is that they are so high in starch, sugars, carbohydrates, and proteins that are difficult for the body to utilize. Free radicals are the cause, and the cure is antioxidants, available in a diet of brightly or deeply colored roots and vegetables.

Cut All Carbs From Your Diet.

Perlmutter stressed the first step to brain health is to stop eating all forms of sugars, which increase the likelihood of developing diabetes. (Diabetes is another auto-immune condition.) He says sugar is toxic to the brain, and is a contributor to Alzheimer’s disease. The hippocampus is the memory center of the brain, and sugar is correlated with brain shrinkage. Sugar binds to proteins in a process called glycation

Sugar increases the free radicals in our body. Removing sugar from the diet is key to anti-aging, Perlmutter explained. In addition, people must also cut back on starches, all forms of sugar, and carbohydrates.

He says the best way to identify the healthy foods to eat is to become familiar with the glycemic index of foods.  Breads, and sugars have a higher index than a candy bar, not that you should eat candy instead. Perlmutter says the body just doesn’t need so many carbohydrates. The brain actually needs fats, but from healthy sources.

Cut All Gluten from Your Diet

The American diet is full of gluten, (the sticky stuff that holds bread together and allows it to form bubbles so it raises.) Gluten is a protein, that many people cannot metabolize. Instead the immune system attacks it, and when the immune system is overly stressed, it may not be able to recognize the difference between gluten and other types of proteins in our own bodies, so that it attacks our own cells.

Gluten appears in processed foods, and the prevalence of that ingredient increases the chance of sensitivity to it. You don’t have to develop Celiac’s disease to be sensitive to gluten. Perlmutter stressed that up to 30 % of people in this country are sensitive to gluten. Many do not recognize they are sensitive, or that they have inflammation, aggravated by gluten. Perlmutter said eliminating gluten and carbohydrates from the diet has improved the health of most of his patients.

Because the symptoms are so diverse, and may show up in ways that are not immediately seen, Perlmutter suspects that it may turn out the !00 % of people may be sensitive to gluten. Why? Because gluten is relatively new to the human animal. Wheat has been part of the human diet for about 10,000 years. Human DNA is about the same as it was from 50,000 to 70,000 years ago. Grains were not always a major staple. We have learned to increase the productivity of the grain plants with hybrids that allow more of them in our diet.

People selling food products promote their own crops as being beneficial, when often they are not, but we believe the claims that have been made often and over years of time, rather than to question that a food may be harmful.
 

There Is More You Can Do

Research is showing that a diet rich in healthy fats is good for brain and cardiovascular health. Sources for these fats is in olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, wild fish, nuts and seeds, and eggs. Even the cholesterol in eggs is a brain food.

Perlmutter said conditions such as ADHD, depression, tremors and other diseases have been cured by removal of gluten in the diet. Many doctors collude with this problem by prescribing antidepressants, or drugs to mask symptoms, even though these substances increase the chance of death by 34 %. 50 % of people at 50 years or more are at risk of developing dementia of some sort.

There are other factors that can also affect brain health and longevity. Aerobic exercise, diet, sleep and more all affect our genetic destiny, and can even change it.  The previous blog post listed activities which can encourage the brain to regenerate. (Did I mention the need to stop smoking?)

Nuerogenesis or regeneration of brain function continues throughout life. Lifestyle changes can help grow a new brain. Perlmutter said a supplement, DHA or Omega 3 turns on the growth of new brain cells and improves our chances of developing Alzheimer’s.  Omega 6 is also important for resistance to aging and brain degeneration.

Writing and Images are the © copyright of Ruth Zachary.