Brain Power

a healthy brain is about feeling good

Butterflies in your stomach on a first date, a gut feeling that someone isn’t being honest with you, even a tummy upset in anticipation of a big work presentation: we have all experienced the connection between the gut and the brain in some form. But did you know that the gut has its own nervous system? Or that the gut is in constant dialogue with the brain, influencing your thoughts and moods even when you aren’t eating? This connection is so strong that scientists have come to call the gut our second brain, and are gleaning a better understanding than ever of how we can all nurture this connection to feel and think better.

The idea of eating lots of plants fits with what we know about the microbiome, and indeed some recent research suggests that the very reason the Mediterranean diet is so good for us is the way it influences our gut microbes.22 People in Okinawa also tend to eat very few calories, even by Japanese standards, a hint that keeping calories low, as we learned in the previous chapter, could be a good strategy for health. The diets of blue-zoners also fits with the recent finding that a poor diet is the leading cause of death in most countries. The biggest culprits? Too much salt, too few whole grains and not enough vegetables. Exactly the opposite of the blue-zone diet.
Med diet marvel
Living longer is one thing, but what about the brain? Here, the Mediterranean diet really comes into its own. Studies consistently find that sticking to it reduces the risk for numerous brain conditions including stroke, depression and Alzheimer’s.23 On the other hand, unhealthy diets high in processed foods have been linked to increased risk of depression as well as anxiety.24 Diet and mental health, then, are clearly connected, but most of these studies are observational – meaning that people’s habits are observed and measurements are made, but the scientists aren’t trying to change the outcome – so we can’t definitively say that diet is the driving force.

indeed some recent research suggests that the very reason the Mediterranean diet is so good for us is the way it influences our gut microbes.22 People in Okinawa also tend to eat very few calories, even by Japanese standards, a hint that keeping calories low, as we learned in the previous chapter, could be a good strategy for health. The diets of blue-zoners also fits with the recent finding that a poor diet is the leading cause of death in most countries. The biggest culprits? Too much salt, too few whole grains and not enough vegetables. Exactly the opposite of the blue-zone diet.
Med diet marvel
Living longer is one thing, but what about the brain? Here, the Mediterranean diet really comes into its own. Studies consistently find that sticking to it reduces the risk for numerous brain conditions including stroke, depression and Alzheimer’s.23 On the other hand, unhealthy diets high in processed foods have been linked to increased risk of depression as well as anxiety.24 Diet and mental health, then, are clearly connected, but most of these studies are observational – meaning that people’s habits are observed and measurements are made, but the scientists aren’t trying to change the outcome – so we can’t definitively say that diet is the driving force.

serotonin (a lack of which is implicated in depression), noradrenaline (which primes the body for action) and dopamine (which plays a vital role in mood, and in our ability to learn and plan). In fact, 50 per cent of our dopamine is made in the gut.8

Similarly, there is no silver bullet. Your best bet for protecting your brain is to take on a combination of the beneficial habits, and let the effects build. This isn’t about a quick fix, but about lifestyle changes that last.

The brain is a hungry organ, consuming about 20 per cent of the body’s energy.

If we have enough ‘good’ bacteria in there, any unwanted pathogens will be outnumbered, helping to protect us from infection. This is one reason why, when it comes to health, it’s important to have as diverse a microbiome as possible. The more skills it can perform, the more it can do to keep us well.

Bad diet is the leading risk factor for death in the majority of countries around the world, claiming more lives than smoking.4

They were surprised to discover that those people who received psychotherapy and those who had the dietary advice saw the same reduction in their chances of going on to develop depression – around 8 per cent rather than 20–25 per cent for those who receive neither.25