from
Huffington Post 05-17-12
We all know that a high-sugar diet can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, hyperactivity in children and a host of other health problems. And, according to a recent study, the sweet stuff might affect how you think, as well. That’s the bad news, but there’s good news too: a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help to mitigate sugar’s effect on the brain.
Researchers at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine used rats to explore how a high-fructose diet affects basic cognitive abilities like memory, learning and problem-solving. “Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” said professor of neurosurgery Fernando Gomez-Pinilla at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in a statement. “Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information.” Interestingly, the researchers found that eating omega-3 fatty acids could help to mitigate the sugar-associated damage.
Dr. Wilson replies:
It’s just not rats that suffer from brain problems when they are exposed to these toxic food elements. We now know that excessive fructose mainly from sucrose (sugar) and HFCS are the driving force behind insulin resistance and central obesity. When a person with insulin resistance consumes high glycemic carbohydrates, their brain is exposed to magnified glucose spikes. Because in high levels glucose is toxic to neurons, over time these magnified glucose spikes trigger a diffuse brain dysfunction or “Sugar-Brain”.
The medical term for this condition is Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. People with CARB syndrome can develop up to 21 brain dysfunction symptoms that interfere with their ability to function. Because the brain plays a key role in auto-regulating fat stores, people with CARB syndrome start to store extra total body fat at any caloric intake.
People with brains that don’t work so well with excessive body fat—our waiting rooms are filled with patients who fit this description. To maintain optimal brain function it’s important to reduce your intake of sugar, HFCS and high glycemic carbohydrates.
to read the rest of the story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/sugar-makes-you-stupid-ucla_n_1521812.html