By Dean L. Jones, CPM
Medical research is coming together in agreement, in essence, that when we eat foodstuff high in processed sugar and refined carbohydrates it is destructive to quality brain cells. As just one example of research, from the Mayo Clinic, found that diets rich in carbohydrates are associated with an 89% increased risk for dementia. On the other hand, high-fat diets are associated with a 44% reduced risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s is following closely behind heart disease and cancer as one of the top three killers in the United States. Alzheimer’s is a devastating illness that shares a strong link with diabetes as diabetics are at least twice as likely to experience dementia. That is because the cells of our brain can become insulin-resistant just like other cells in the body, not to mention how diabetes doubles the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Eating foodstuff containing a lot of processed sugar works to starve the brain, while at the same time confuses vital cells. Individuals affected by type 1 and type 2 diabetes have a notable resistance to insulin. Type 1 is caused by the body’s inability to produce insulin, and type 2 is caused by the deterioration of the body’s insulin receptors and associated with the consumption of too much refined carbohydrates, like processed sugar. Accordingly, science professionals are studying the critical question — could Alzheimer’s disease simply be Type 3 Diabetes?
High blood sugar (glucose) levels also create inflammation, which further cause the brain’s health to weaken. Where, in due course, a diet high in processed sugar accelerates the killing of healthy brain cells. High refined carbohydrate loaded diets elevate blood sugar that directly relates to cell shrinkage in memory center of the brain, thereby causing memory reduction.
The good thing is that we have the possibility to regenerate quality cells in the brain’s memory center. The scientific name for this activity is a process called neurogenesis. For starters we have to erase health professional directives from roughly the past fifty years where we were advised that eating saturated fatty foods are bad for our health and lead to a host of negative consequences, including high cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease.
Actually, the latest information shows how getting exercise and employing better eating habits show how saturated fat is our friend, in fact we desperately need fat to help create cholesterol. The type of fat naturally makes a difference, as it is absolutely necessary to avoid all trans fats and hydrogenated fats, including margarine, vegetable oils, and various butter-like spreads.
There are great sources of healthy fats including fresh avocados, butter made from raw, grass-fed organic milk, raw dairy organic pastured egg yolks, coconuts and coconut oil, unheated organic nut oils, raw nuts, such as pecans and macadamia, and grass-fed meats. A smart brain is trans fat and sugar alert!
www.SugarAlert.com
Dean Jones, Ethics Advocate, Southland Partnership Corporation (a public benefit organization), contributes his view on health attributes derived from processed foodstuff items.
