Many women want the effort of maintaining a balanced diet to contribute to their bodies being fit, healthy and younger looking. However, according to recent research, dietary restriction can go beyond this, also influencing the maintenance of the brain's youth to allow the individual to be more creative and mentally long-lived.
The study by Italian researchers at the Sacred Heart Catholic University in Rome, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the molecule called CREB1 can be triggered by low-calorie food and activate other molecules linked to longevity. and good brain function in mice.
Low calorie food was applied in the study allowing animals to consume only 70% of the food they would normally eat. This diet was already known in the scientific community and has always been used as a way of extending the life of animals in experimental models as it allows them not to become obese, to develop diabetes, to have a reduced likelihood of developing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. show better cognitive, memory and less aggressive performance; however, it was not possible to explain exactly what was the molecular mechanism behind the positive effects of eating less.
CREB1 the low-feeding molecule for the young brain
Was the CREB1 molecule already known to scientists as regulating important brain functions? such as learning, memory and anxiety; It was known that its activity was reduced or physiologically compromised by aging, but Italian research has been able to reveal its activation and its relationship to so-called "sirtuins", molecules linked to longevity.
"For the first time we have identified an important mediator of the effects of diet on the brain," said Giovambattista Pani, one of the lead authors of the study at the General Institute of Pathology at the Roman university.
So now, the fact that overfeeding and consequent overweight or obesity is bad for the mind is no longer just a doctor's talk that wants to make people live a healthier life for the body, but scientific evidence.
Researcher Giovambattista Pani aims to find a way to activate CREB1 in other ways, such as drugs, without the need for a strict diet to keep the brain young. "This finding has important implications for developing future therapies to prevent brain degeneration and the aging process," he said.
Giovambattista's concern with being able to activate CREB1 by drugs is due to the fact that there may be cases and that a dietary restriction cannot be applied as a treatment to the individual, or the action effect needed to fight a disease needs to be more immediate. than the process of food reduction.
While Dr. Pani does not find the CREB1 activating drug, it remains for us to seek to maintain a lifestyle that balances good nutrition and exercise for the well-being and playfulness of not only the body but also the mind. To age well, invest in your quality of life today, because even if you don't care about appearance, you will probably want to keep your brain working well for seniors to tell their amazing stories.
How the food you eat affects your brain - Mia Nacamulli (May 2024)
- Prevention and Treatment
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