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Sep 18, 2022 · Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the "waste" (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.
- hhp_info@health.harvard.edu
Dietary factors can affect multiple brain processes by regulating neurotransmitter pathways, synaptic transmission, membrane fluidity and signal-transduction pathways. This section focuses on recent evidence that shows the capacity of nutrients to affect neural pathways that are associated with synaptic plasticity.
- hhp_info@health.harvard.edu
- Green, leafy vegetables. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene.
- Fatty fish. Fatty fish are abundant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, healthy unsaturated fats that have been linked to lower blood levels of beta-amyloid—the protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.
- Berries. Flavonoids, the natural plant pigments that give berries their brilliant hues, also help improve memory, research shows. A study done by researchers at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital found that women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week delayed memory decline by up to two-and-a-half years.
- Tea and coffee. The caffeine in your morning cup of coffee or tea might offer more than just a short-term concentration boost. In a 2014 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, participants with higher caffeine consumption scored better on tests of mental function.
Dec 6, 2017 · Overeating, obesity, acute high-fat diet consumption, poor early-life diet or early life adversity can produce an inflammatory response in peripheral immune cells and centrally as well as...
- Sarah J. Spencer, Aniko Korosi, Sophie Layé, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Ruth M. Barrientos
- 2017
Oct 31, 2023 · Nutrition influences brain function at multiple levels, from molecular and cellular mechanisms to the complex neural networks that underlie human intelligence and mental health. Despite the growing recognition of nutrition’s impact on the brain, researchers face several scientific challenges.
Basic Principles of Early Nutrition Effects on Brain Development. The vulnerability of a developing brain process, region, or circuit to an early life nutrient deficit is based on two factors: the timing of the nutrient deficit and the region’s requirement for that nutrient at that time.
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Key messages. Healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, are associated with better mental health than “unhealthy” eating patterns, such as the Western diet. The effects of certain foods or dietary patterns on glycaemia, immune activation, and the gut microbiome may play a role in the relationships between food and mood.
