Against dementia: carbohydrates positive impact on brain health

Carbs have received in the course of time an ever worse reputation.

Of low-carbohydrate and high-fat diets to a more restrictive Keto diet trend: The growing consensus seems to be that Carbs are simply bad for the body.

A new study by the University of Sydney suggests, however, that a low-protein or carbohydrate-rich to promote nutrition, healthy ageing of the brain, the brain improving your health and even delay the onset of dementia can slow down.

Reduction in calories is difficult

Background of the study is that the researchers have observed that keep people in the modern world difficult to a permanent reduction of the recorded calories, although there are a lot of scientific evidence for the benefits of it.

“We can look back on almost 100 years of qualitative research, in which the positive impact of a reduction in calories as the best diet to improve brain health and delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases, again and again wurden&quot highlighted;, so Devin choice, the main author of the new study, said in a statement.

“The majority of people, however, has difficulties to restrict the calorie intake. This is especially true in Western societies, where food is so freely available sind", the expert explains further.

Four diets compared

The new study, which was carried out on mice, compared the effects of four different diets on the brain.

The studied diets varied in Protein and carbohydrate content of each other. As a comparison, a caloric restriction served a diet of 20 percent, which is recommended in this Form, often of Doctors.

The results have shown that a low-protein diet that contains a high content of complex carbohydrates, in terms of brain aging leads to advantages with those of a caloric restriction diet comparable.

Under the sheath, especially in the Hippocampus

The scientists studied, among other things, whether the different diets had different influence on cognition and behavior of the animals. In the case of the spatial awareness and memory tests were, however, observed only moderate improvements.

The most obvious differences that could account for the researchers, were changes in gene expression, in particular in the Hippocampus.

“The Hippocampus is usually the first part of the brain, in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s verschlechtert", study author David Le Couteur explains.

“The low-protein diet with a high carbohydrate content seemed to promote the health and biology of the Hippocampus in mice, however, the low-calorie diet, in some cases, even more."

The results fit with previous investigations of the University, where it was shown that low-protein or carbohydrate-rich diet with low-calorie diets are comparable when it comes to the promotion of cardiovascular health and the prolongation of the life span.

There is a connection between healthy brain aging and a higher carbohydrate consumption is also found in other analyses, in particular, in a study from 2008 that found that low-carbohydrate diets can impair the perception of a negative impact.

A balanced diet is best

Although the study emphasized not that all carbohydrates are good, and we should strike at the bread and Pasta unlimited, reminds us that healthy eating is not so easy.

To live a healthy life is more complicated than to simply say that fat is good and carbs are bad. A simple concept that permanently according to strict Forbidden, is not easy.

Judith Kerstgens