Browse: Home / Insulin / Old brains short circuit on high carbohydrate diet

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Better Body Chemistry School
  • Book a health conversation
  • Speaking query
  • The “Big” Spoons
Header image

BBC

Small things can make a big difference to your health

advertisement

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Free Resources
    • 31 days to Better Body Chemistry
    • Willpower Report
    • Weight loss e-course
    • Better Body Chemistry for Expecting Moms
    • The ups and downs of insulin resistance
    • Candy Floss Boards
    • Weight tracker
    • Sound bites
  • Library
  • Shop
  • Lucky dip
  • Buy me a coffee
  • Video gallery
  • Contact

Old brains short circuit on high carbohydrate diet

Posted by Dr Sandy on in Insulin | 889 Views | Leave a response
Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp
Share
More

carbohydrate causing brain fogginessOfficially, the brain runs on carbohydrates.

So logic dictates, the more carbohydrates you eat, the better your brain should run.

But, researchers from the Mayo Clinic have put a spanner in the works of this thinking. They have discovered, in the elderly at least, too many carbohydrates, hasten foggy thinking.

Finding a few sharp old brains

The research team screened, 1230 old brains, belonging to people between the ages of 70 and 89 years, looking for old brains that were still ticking over efficiently.

Only brains in good working order, could be included in the study. A battery of tests later, whittled the number of brains to 940, all of these brains were judged to be free of cognitive defects.

These brains officially became part of the study, designed to see what older brains preferred to eat.

What are old brains eating ?

The team spent some time, documenting what each brain was eating, on a regular basis at the start of the study, through comprehensive diet analysis.

The brains and their owners, were asked to return each year, at which time the team repeated the battery of tests, to see if the brain was still running flawlessly.

Four years on, a significant number (200) of the old brains, were showing signs of failing circuitry, with slips in memory, language, thinking and judgement above and beyond normal age-related changes.

Soggy sandwiches causing fogging brains

The brains that were eating the most carbohydrates, at the start of the study, were more-often-than not, in the group of brains that were showing shortcomings in function. Interestingly, the brains consuming the highest levels of fat, were the least likely to fail.

After crunching the numbers, the team concluded that people with the highest carbohydrate intake, were 3.6 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment.

Ouch.

The so-called heart healthy diet is making you stupid.

Your low fat diet is putting strain on your brain

But the brain loves sugar – how could this be ?

I suspect too much sugar ends up putting strain on your brain, in a roundabout way.

A high carb meal, drops a lot of sugar into the body really quickly. On paper, the body’s sophisticated sugar clearing system, should mop it all up, quick quick. But, years of abuse and wear and tear, often cause the system to be a bit slow on the uptake. This slowness, manifests initially as insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. 

So the sugar rush, that results from a high carb meal, creates more than a little panic, it generates oxidative stress.

This oxidative stress, sees energy laden electrons buzzing about, poking holes in cells that get in the way. If those cells are brain cells, you get short circuits.

Too many short circuits bring those slips in memory, language, thinking and judgement above and beyond normal age-related changes.

Brain food is balanced

As one gets older, high carb meals are often the order of the day – they’re easy to prepare and a lot less pricey. But your brain needs both protein and fat to function at its best.

Protect your brain by obeying the rule of thirds and give it a little bit of everything it needs.

Relative Intake of Macronutrients Impacts Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia.  Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (2012) 32(2):  317-328. Jinglong Wu, Jiajia Yang, Yinguha Yu, Qi Li, Naoya Nakamura, Yong Shen, Yasuyuki Ohta, Shengyuan Yu, Koji Abe.  
 

Interested in learning more about better body chemistry ? 

Subcribe to E-spoons, to get e-mail updates once a month to learn how to keep your body chemistry balanced so you optimize your health.  

View previous E-spoons.

Close

NOTE : Privacy & spam policy. Spoonful of Science will not rent, trade or sell the e-mail list to anyone. You can unsubscribe at any time by following the unsubscribe link.

Know someone who will find this post useful ? Share it on facebook, linkedin, twitter

Further reading

nicotine patch enhances cognitive performance old bee in a rocking chair caffeine like a little TNT for old folks
The bad habit that helps people in the habit of forgetting things A bee fix for an aging brain A cup of coffee gets old muscles  buzzing too

The 7 Big Spoons™…. are master switches that turn health on.

balance eicosanoids rein in insulin dial down stress sleep vitamin D microflora think
Balance Eicosanoids Rein in insulin Dial down stress Sleep ! Increase Vit D Culivate microflora Think champion

Hire Dr Sandy from a Spoonful of Science to be the keynote speaker at your next event.

Did you learn something new or do you have a different perspective ? I’d love to hear from you so post me a comment below

Share Button
Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp
Share
More
Posted in Insulin | Tagged brain, carbohydrates, cognitive impairement, foggy thinking, insulin resistance, memory, old brains, oxidative stress, sugar

Sugar gremlins are REAL

Connect with us

facebook you tube pinterest 40 google plus 40 Linkedin
willpower report
  • Popular
  • Featured
  • Recent
  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20757 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19915 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    19190 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16757 views / Posted
  • carbonated water bubbles fill you up

    Fizzing up the water flattens your appetite

    15600 views / Posted
  • sun extracting cholesterol

    Make sure you have your “annual” check-up in the summer time

    / Dr Sandy
  • sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity

    Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

    / Dr Sandy
  • cholesterol at the scene of the accident

    Bone cells are stiffening up your arteries not cholesterol

    / Dr Sandy
  • brain size the problem in ADHD

    Are kids with ADHD just acting according to their brain age

    / Dr Sandy
  • plastering the blood vessel with calcium

    Calcium supplements are building bones and breaking hearts

    / Dr Sandy
  • nose feeling blocked

    A simple “cure” for chronic sinusitis

    / Dr Sandy
  • triglyceride sweeping up sugar

    Dietary fat and carbs DO MIX in a “good” way

    / Dr Sandy
  • what would batman eat

    Batman can rescue your child from poor food choices

    / Dr Sandy
  • grape shooting fat at a man eating grapes on the couch

    The inconvenient truth about eating more fruit to be healthy

    / Dr Sandy
  • beta cell asking for a dopamine hit

    The dopamine hit your beta cells need to function at their best

    / Dr Sandy

RSS Recent posts

Dr Sandy Dr Sandy Evans, PhD

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa

Disclaimer : The stories and articles are provided as a service. Dr Sandy's opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
 

Book an appointment

Calendar icon
 

Connect with Dr Sandy

facebook 40
you tube 40
pinterest 40
linkedin 40
 

Categories

Featured posts

  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20757 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19915 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    19190 views / Posted
 

©2011-2022 Spoonful of Science

Menu

  • Meet Dr Sandy
  • Disclosure/disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Comment policy
  • Contact
Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp