Fill it up: Healthy diet fuels brain

Aug. 31--The brain is a high-performance machine.

To keep it functioning at its best for a lifetime, it needs quality fuel and preventive maintenance. There is compelling research that nutrition can be integrated both into treatment and prevention efforts, said founder of Brain Health Partners, CC Donelon, who was among the featured speakers at the 19th Annual Alzheimer's and Other Dementias conference held in Tupelo last week. Donelon served as the director of education at the Brain Health and Wellness Center with Nancy Emerson Lombardo, a founder of Alzheimer's Disease International and the National Alzheimer's Association before starting Brain Health Partners in 2017.

Some risk factors for Alzheimer's and dementia can't be changed -- like age and family history, Donelon said. The ultimate goal is to prevent Alzheimer's disease, but even delaying it by three to five years has quality of life benefits for the individual and their family.

"We can change how we take care of ourselves," Donelon said.

Physicians, public health advocates and researchers are finding more evidence to approach lifestyle as medicine, Donelon said. Dr. David Katz, founding director of Yale University'sPrevention Research Center, has said 80 percent of chronic disease and premature death can be prevented by not smoking, being physically active and following a healthy diet.

"Small changes can have big results," Donelon said.

Donelon encourages people to embrace nutrition as a way to reduce their risk for Alzheimer's as well as cardiovascular diseases.

"Food is good for the brain and the soul," Donelon said.

Fuel up

The brain in a hungry system, using about 20 percent of the calories we take in, Donelon said. It runs on glucose, which comes from carbs. Two-thirds of the brain is made up of fat. It needs the right foods in the right amounts.

In her presentation in Tupelo, Donelon presented an overview of several evidence-based diets focused on reducing the risk for Alzheimer's, including Evidence-Based Memory Preservation Nutrition, the MIND Diet and the Alzheimer's Diet. They overlap with much of the nutrition advice for controlling heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

"Anything that hurts our heart and blood vessels harms our brains," Donelon said.

As a group, the nutritional approaches emphasize getting proteins from fish, poultry and plants, lots of leafy green vegetables, beans and legumes, whole grains and healthy fats from plants like olive oil, avocados and nuts.

Vitamins and nutrients are more effective when they come from food sources. The more people can focus on whole foods and avoid packaged foods that are often loaded with sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, the better. They seek to minimize sugar, salt and saturated fats that show up in red meat and fried foods.

Roughly three-quarters of a healthy diet should come from plant sources, but that doesn't mean you have to be a vegetarian, Donelon said. Portion sizes matter because the brain doesn't do well with excess glucose and fat.

Donelon counsels people to think of lifestyle as a set of habits. To improve them, it's best to take on one thing at a time.

"You want to start slow so you don't get overwhelmed," Donelon said.

Start with sugar

Getting sugar intake to a healthy level is a great place to start moving toward a brain-healthy lifestyle, Donelon said. Most Americans consume an average of 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, which adds up to 130 to 150 pounds of sugar a year. A healthy level of daily sugar consumption is 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men.

"America's sweet tooth is a problem for our brain," Donelon said.

It goes beyond excess pounds. The excess sugar harms the hippocampus, which is important to memory.

Donelon advises against trying to cut all the excess sugar at one time. She suggests pulling back gradually over three or four weeks.

"It's hard, but it can be done," Donelon said.

Beyond the obvious sugar bombs in candy, cakes, cookies, sodas and desserts, people should watch labels carefully for added sugars in seemingly healthy products.

"If sweeteners are listed in the first three or four ingredients, you probably want to put it back." Donelon said.

Artificial sweeteners are not as helpful as you think. Donelon recommends avoiding most sugar substitutes.

"Artificial sweeteners can lead to craving of sweets over other foods," Donelon said.

Plant-based Stevia and coconut sugar can be fine in small quantities, but people will have to read labels carefully to make sure other sweeteners aren't creeping in.

It isn't necessary to give up everything sweet. Fruits are a great choice. Dark chocolate -- with at least 68 percent cacao -- are high in antioxidants.

When one habit is mastered, move on to another, like adding more leafy greens.

"Embrace nutrition as part of a preventive strategy," she said.

michaela.morris@journalinc.com

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