THANKSGIVING OFFERING
Three extraordinary papers inspire me to send this pre-Thanksgiving message about preventing or reducing obesity and depression while maintaining muscles and brain function. Articles 1 and 2 can be read via links to Science magazine of 9 November. Article 3 is in the November American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. And (4) goes to the web page that has resulted from my weight loss study. I hope the quotations will lead you to read the entire articles.
SUMMARY OF IDEAS: A friend has recently been told by her therapist to take six fish oil tablets to fight depression, and she reported the wonderful effect this has had on her mental state. The articles below indicate how intimately and biochemically mental and physical health and obesity are connected. 1. indicates how obesity is connected to brain signalling, and how it leads to a host of metabolic problems causing serious disease, a message to inspire you to exercise before and after Thanksgiving feasting. That brain signalling process relates to 2., which explains how it is now possible to observe new brain cells developing in the brain of human adults! It is no longer a theory – we really can create new brain cells throughout our lives – based on proper nutrition and attitude. Which leads to 3., which explains why the DHA found in fish oil is essential to good brain health from conception to death.
At 4. is the information that I discovered during the weight loss study during spring of 2007. It provides links to an article on how the brain signalling processes related to obesity may be controlled. And there is a link to a place where DHA may be purchased. Reading the current literature may persuade people to take a 1 g fish oil tablet dailly when young, two a day when over 60. But these DHA tablets have about as much of the brain nutrient as 3 fish oil tablets. If you are older and/or obese and can afford them, reading these articles might lead you to discuss taking fish oil or DHA for your brain health, and even olive oil and branched chain amino acids also to control obesity and support muscle growth.
1. An Integrative View of Obesity – 25% of adults are obese; which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and other health problems. “This process involves brain areas that control appetite and energy metabolism.”
2. Spying On New Neurons in the Human Brain “aberrations in adult neurogenesis contribute to disorders such as depression”
3. Rethinking brain food “2 articles (1, 2), which show associations between dietary n–3fatty acid intakes and better performance or preservation ofcognitive function in aging persons…Forty percent of personsolder than 85 y have some form of dementia, and the economicburden of Alzheimer disease alone is estimated at $80–100billion…We know that the n–3fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid [major component of fish oil] accounts for 40% of the membranephospholipid fatty acids in the brain;”
4. Products relevant to nutrient signaling related to weight control
HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!
