BRAIN HEALTH

BRAIN HEALTH

You are your brain

  • Your brain determines all aspects of your life and without your brain, there is no 'I' or world consciousness.
  • Your brain is a 1.5kg-weight universe, with 100 billion neurons connecting at over 500 billion points through synapses traveling at nearly 500 km/hour.
  • Throughout life, your experiences are encoded through this brain activity, creating your memories, skills, sense of identity, and way of looking at life.
  • When the brain is sick, as for example by Alzheimer’s disease, neurons are destroyed and synapses are interrupted and memories, skills, and identity are lost.

Some curiosities about your brain

  • The brain generates enough energy to light a light bulb.
  • When you think, see, or move, your brain is filled with millions of electrical signals.
  • Your brain never rests, it works 24/7 all your life.
  • Every day your brain processes about 70,000 thoughts.
  • Your brain gets better with use.
  • Your brain ages just like the rest of your body: it shrinks in size, slows down, and becomes less adaptable to changes.

An immersion in our brain

The brain is your most powerful organ, but it weighs only about 2% of your total weight. It has a texture similar to firm jelly. The brain has three main parts:

The brain itself, which occupies most of your skull. It’s involved in remembering, solving problems, thinking and feeling. It also controls movement.

The cerebellum is located in the back of the head, under the brain. It controls coordination and balance.

The brain stem is under your brain in front of your cerebellum. It connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic functions such as breathing, digestion, heart rate and blood pressure.

   

Your brain feeds on one of the richest blood vessel networks in your body. When you think hard, the brain can use up to 50% of the fuel and oxygen.

  

The wrinkled surface of the brain is a specialized outer layer of the brain called the cortex. Scientists have «mapped» bark by identifying areas strongly linked to certain functions, such as thought.

Your brain is divided into right and left halves. Experts are not sure how the «left brain» and the «right brain» may differ depending. In most people, the language area is mainly on the left.

Our brain

Care, nutrition and fitness

MOVE

Exercise, improve your aerobic stamina, tone and muscle flexibility.

EAT HEALTHY

Follow a Mediterranean diet, use fresh products, and choose your vitamin supplements well.

CONTROLS THE RISKS

Avoid tobacco and drink alcohol in moderation.

REST

Try to think positive, stay calm and sleep at least 7 hours each night.

STAY CURIOUS

Play, learn, study so that your brain is always trained.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Interact with your loved ones, socialize, have a purpose that moves you in life.

The main indicators of brain health are 4:

  • Attention and concentration capacity.
  • Learning ability.
  • Memory.
  • Precision when performing activities.

Feed your brain capacity

Think about it. Your brain is always «on». Take care of your thoughts and movements, your breathing and heartbeat, your senses; work hard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even while you sleep.

This means that your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. This «fuel» comes from the food you eat. Like an expensive car, your brain works best when you only get 'premium' fuel.

Eating high quality foods that contain many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress that can damage cells, that is, from the «wastes» (free radicals) that occur when the body uses oxygen.

On the contrary, if your diet is low quality, your brain will work worse and it will be damaged. Multiple studies have found a direct correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function, and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.

Moreover, there is a correlation between the type of bacteria that live in our intestine (intestinal flora) and the state of health of the brain and even our emotional state, since the flora is built or destroyed from our diet.

We should not be surprised if our intellectual performance or mood are not the best, in case we are carrying a diet poor in essential nutrients.

Clearly, if a poor diet is sustained over many years, not only will intellectual performance be affected short term, but the brain degenerative process will become more pronounced than normal and that person will be more likely to suffer from mental illness as they get older.

Studies have compared «traditional» diets, such as the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet, with a typical «western» diet and have shown that the risk of depression is between 25% and 35% lower in those who consume a traditional diet. Scientists explain this difference because these traditional diets tend to be rich in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains and fish and shellfish, and contain only modest amounts of lean meats and dairy. They also lack sugars and processed and refined foods, which are staples of the «Western» dietary pattern. In addition, many of these unprocessed foods are fermented and therefore act as natural probiotics.

Vitamins and other specific nutrients for brain health

Food provides different nutrients that impact brain development, maturation, growth and protection.

Foods that stimulate the brain tend to contain one or more of the following nutrients:

Vitamins

B-COMPLEX VITAMINS

The B vitamins work together to promote brain health. They promote the formation of neurotransmitters, protect tissues against oxidation and increase the speed of electrical conduction. These vitamins have great effects against memory deterioration, prevent brain aging and help against depression. They also promote mental acuity and speed of thought.

HILL

Choline plays a key role in memory processing and storage, key functions for learning and knowledge retention.

VITAMINS C

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. Its action protects the brain from oxidative stress and degenerative processes that take place with age. It contributes to the process of iron absorption, decisive in functions such as memory and attention. Vitamin C is also considered a natural antidepressant, increasing serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter decisive in good mood.

VITAMINS D

Vitamin D activates and deactivates enzymes in the brain involved in neurotransmitter synthesis and nerve growth. It also protects neurons and reduces inflammation, improving agility and mental performance.

Minerals

ZINC

Zinc has been found to play a critical role in regulating communication between brain cells that govern the formation of memories.

IRON

The role of iron in brain function is very important, as it is involved in the synthesis, degradation and storage of neurotransmitters.

MAGNESIUM

It is a great brain protector. It reduces stress and anxiety by stimulating the GABA receptors of the brain.

 

Natural Ingredients

In addition, there are plants with natural power to improve and preserve brain functions, which are called adaptogens (natural regulators of stress and anxiety) and nootropics (natural enhancers of cognitive abilities):

RHODIOLA ROSEA

Rhodiola is a plant that grows in very cold environments and that we can find in northern Europe and Asia, eastern North America, etc. It is used to decrease fatigue, increase attention, treat depression, improve mood and intellectual performance.

GINGKO BILOBA

Gingko Biloba is a medicinal plant from Asia whose leaves have been used for more than 2,000 years against various ailments, mainly related to the brain and blood flow, and especially associated with improving memory.

BACOPA MONNIERI

Bacopa Monnieri is a traditional plant of Indian Ayurvedic culture. It grows in marshy areas of India and other parts of Asia. This plant is used to combat brain ailments and regulate stress and anxiety. It also improves cognitive abilities including memory and concentration.

NIGELLA SATIVA (Black Cumin)

Also called Black Cumin. Present in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Nigella is a plant whose seeds are appreciated for its atypical flavor and its numerous health benefits. They are valued in herbal medicine for their antioxidant potential, very important to keep the brain at full capacity as we age.

 

GREEN TEA POLYPHENOLS

Green tea is the healthiest drink on the planet. It is composed of many antioxidants and nutrients with great effects on the body. Polyphenols are components of green tea that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and could prevent neuronal aging.

 

ASTAXANTINA

Astaxanthin is a powerful natural antioxidant found in algae and protects against cellular oxidation, a process involved in aging and the development of various diseases.

 

 

 

 

SCHISANDRA

Schisandra is a plant native to northern China. As traditional Chinese medicine points out, this is an herb that contains the three treasures: energy, essence and spirit. This natural ingredient improves concentration and memory, learning ability and decreases nervous irritability.

ASWAGANDHA

Ashwagandha plants are native to India, North Africa and the Middle East. Ashwagandha extract is a natural compound with potential to reduce anxiety and stress, and induce sleep.

 

MELISA

Melisa is native to the Mediterranean Sea basin. It is a relaxing and invigorating medicinal plant of the nervous system, which is used to treat anxiety, and nervous tension.

 

LION'S MANE

Hericium erinaceus is popularly known as Lion’s Mane, which grows in cold areas near the Arctic. It is a foot-less fungus that usually lives hanging on tree trunks, especially oaks. Highly valued in traditional medicine for improving brain function and mental activity.

 

RESVERATROL

Resveratrol is a natural compound present in black grapes, raspberries, or blackberries, which has become famous for its health benefits, among which is its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power, and its ability to activate the longevity gene.

 

(PSYCHO) PROBIOTICS

The intestine contains about 200 million neurons, the largest set of neurons outside the brain, which have structural and functional similarities to the brain. This intestinal nervous system is connected to the brain in a bidirectional way. Probiotics, especially the strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, in combination with prebiotics, benefit the brain-intestine axis which helps prevent short- and long-term mental problems.