Seasoned Salmon (photo by Daniel T. Yara, courtesy of morguefile.com)

Many people know that eating healthy foods and exercising can protect them against heart disease and cancer, but an article in Psych Central says, “Emerging research suggests a balanced diet and regular exercise can also protect the brain and ward off mental disorders.”

The article reports on the work of Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science who has spent years studying the effects of food, exercise and sleep on the brain. During his research he “analyzed more than 160 studies about food’s affect on the brain.”

The article quotes Professor Gómez-Pinilla:

Diet, exercise and sleep have the potential to alter our brain health and mental function. This raises the exciting possibility that changes in diet are a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive abilities, protecting the brain from damage and counteracting the effects of aging.

The key to protecting the brain with food seems to be getting plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in salmon and walnuts. Doing so can improve “learning and memory” and help “fight against such mental disorders as depression and mood disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia.”

The results of Professor Gómez-Pinilla analysis appear in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

If you’d like to read the Psych Central article cited above go to: Healthy Food Can Improve Mental Health

To read the results of Professor Gómez-Pinilla analysis published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience go to: Brain Foods: The Effects of Nutrients on Brain Function

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