Fasting may preserve brain health, new research suggests.
A low-fat diet that includes 40 per cent fewer calories then recommended intakes reduces inflammation in mice’s brain cells, a study found today.
Such eating plans also maintain the function of brain tissue, the research adds.
Lead author Dr Bart Eggen from the University Medical Center Groningen in The Netherlands, said: ‘Ageing-induced inflammatory activation of microglia could only be prevented when mice were fed a low-fat diet in combination with limited calorific intake.
‘A low-fat diet per se was not sufficient to prevent these changes.’
Microglia is a type of cell in the brain that helps to maintain the proper function of the organ’s tissue.
Results further suggest cutting calories is more effective at maintaining brain health than exercise.
Brain-cell inflammation has been linked to conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Rasmussen’s encephalitis, which can cause seizures and eventual dementia.
A low-fat fasting diet may preserve brain health, new research suggests (stock)
WHAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE TIPS MAINTAIN BRAIN HEALTH IN OLD AGE?
Scientists have unveiled diet and lifestyle tips that maintain brain health in old age.
According to researchers from around the world ‘what’s good for the heart is good for the brain’.
They add that no single food acts as a ‘silver bullet’ for improving or maintaining brain health.
The experts have put together the following diet and lifestyle advice to help people preserve their brain health as they age.
Eating plenty of berries helps maintain people’s brain health as they get older
Eat plenty of:
- Berries
- Fresh vegetables, particularly leafy greens
- Healthy fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil
- Nuts
- Fish and seafood
Include the following in your diet:
- Beans and other legumes
- Fruit
- Low-fat dairy
- Poultry
- Grains
Red meat consumption should be limited
Limit intakes of:
- Fried food
- Pastries
- Processed foods
- Red meat
- Full-fat dairy
- Salt
Other tips:
- Stay active
- Avoid overeating
- Eat at least one meal a week with fish that is not deep fried
- Watch out for salt levels in pre-made food
- Use lemon, vinegar, herbs and spices to flavour food over salt
- Snack on raw, plain, unsalted nuts
- Eat vegetables with a range of different colours
- Prepare meals from scratch
Eleven researchers from the Global Council on Brain Health, including experts from the University of Exeter, met on September 12-to-13 2017 to discuss the impact of diet on the brain health of adults over 50.
Their recommendations are based on the evaluation of studies investigating the impact of nutrients on the cognitive function of older adults.
‘Only when fat and caloric intake are limited, can ageing-induced changes be prevented’
The researchers note the mice in their study were only given one type of diet throughout their lives.
It is unclear if switching from a low-fat eating plan could reverse the effects of consuming fatty, unhealthy food.
The researchers are also unsure whether the animals’ diets affect their cognitive performances.
Dr Eggen added: ‘Nevertheless, these data do show that, in mice, the fat content of a diet is an important parameter in terms of the detrimental effects of aging on the brain, as well as caloric intake.
‘Only when fat content and caloric intake are limited, can aging-induced changes in microglia be prevented.’
The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
Brain-cell inflammation has been linked to conditions such as dementia (stock)
How the research was carried out
The researchers exposed six-month-old mice to either a high or low-fat diet.
They then analysed the impact of such diets on the rodents’ brain inflammation.
The experiment was repeated in two-year-old mice who were either given access to a running wheel they could use as they wished or they had their calorie intake reduced by 40 per cent.
Human brains become ‘old’ at just 25
This comes after research released last month suggested the human brain becomes ‘old’ at just 25.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is found in the brain and spinal cord, changes its speed of movement in people older than mid-20s, a Lancaster University study found.
These movements are linked to breathing and heart rates, with CSF changes previously being associated with conditions such as multiple sclerosis and high blood pressure.
It is unclear if these CSF changes are linked to brain disorders that typically affect the elderly, such as dementia.
Previous research suggests the volume and weight of the brain begins to decline by around five per cent per decade when a person reaches 40 years old.