{"id":475,"date":"2021-12-15T05:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T04:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=106594"},"modified":"2021-12-15T05:16:11","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T04:16:11","slug":"brain-food-the-best-foods-to-eat-for-better-attention-memory-and-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/brain-food-the-best-foods-to-eat-for-better-attention-memory-and-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Brain food: The best foods to eat for better attention, memory and mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Kimberley Wilson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 15 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Your brain is hungry. In fact, it is the hungriest organ in your body. Despite making up only around 2 per cent of your overall body weight, your brain consumes about 20 per cent of your body\u2019s total energy requirement. But it is a mistake to think that it\u2019s only energy that the brain needs to function well; a full complement of micronutrients in sufficient quantities are essential for a healthy brain.<\/p>\n

Evidence is growing that deficiencies in these nutrients contribute to poor brain and mental health. Moreover, there is not a single point in the lifespan, from conception to old age, where nutrition doesn\u2019t play an important role in brain structure and mental health.<\/p>\n

For example, we know that it is important for women trying to conceive to take folic acid (a B vitamin) to prevent neural tube defects conditions such as spina bifida. Of course, it\u2019s not just folic acid that the developing brain needs. The essential omega-3 fatty acids form the structural building blocks of brain cell membranes.<\/p>\n

One of these fats, DHA, makes up between 10 and 20 per cent of the brain\u2019s total fatty acid content. DHA promotes healthy neuronal morphology and cell signalling, allowing brain cells to communicate efficiently. During pregnancy, accumulation of DHA in the brain and retina is necessary for proper brain development and visual function.<\/p>\n

The body is unable to synthesise adequate amounts of DHA, so it must come from the diet. Fortunately, it is abundant in seafood and oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon and trout, and one 140g serving of mackerel supplies enough omega-3 for a week.<\/p>\n

Consequently, greater maternal seafood consumption during pregnancy is associated with improved brain development and cognitive function in children, including better scores on assessments of verbal intelligence and fine motor control<\/a>. Lower blood levels of omega-3 in children are connected to poorer behaviour<\/a>, worse verbal learning and poorer reading skills.<\/p>\n

Read more about brain health:<\/strong><\/p>\n