Feeding the Brain and Slowing Its Ageing

‘If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.’ ~ Emerson M Pugh This article attempts to explain how this complex and precious organ works and suggests how we can keep it working optimally.

The human brain is one of the largest organs in the body, weighing about  1.4 kg. It contains 100 billion or more neurons and at least 10 times that number of glial cells. The glial cells make up the mass of the brain tissue, which consists of protein and fatty tissue with the cell membranes consisting of essential fatty acids.

The brain is so active that it requires a constant and substantial amount of oxygen, and under normal circumstances it receives about 15% of the blood pumped through the body by the heart. It quickly malfunctions if insufficient oxygen is available. It also requires large amounts of glucose and utilises about 75% of the body’s intake of sugar. This may account for sugar addiction and why we crave sweet goodies when we need to perk up. In the absence of sugar the brain can also use ketones as a source of energy. Ketones are found in fats such as coconut oil which is why people on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet don’t have a problem with energy. Recent research has shown that adding extra coconut oil to a conventional Mediterranean diet will boost ketones and improve brain function. Alzheimer’s disease can be partly reversed by the consumption of coconut oil.

The brain is surrounded by three tough protective connective tissue membranes filled with cerebrospinal fluid, which help absorb shocks to the head, and is protected to some extent against toxic substances by a bloodbrain barrier that restricts their passage from the blood into the brain.

BRAIN ACTIVITY