February 10, 2010

This fat improves your memory

When someone says "fathead" these days, they're probably
talking about a life-size replica of an athlete on your
wall.  (My son has Eli Manning in his room.)

When I was a kid, calling someone a "fathead" was an
insult. 

But nothing could be farther from the truth.

Because being a fathead is a good thing.

Here's why:

50-60% of your brain's solid matter is fat.

Now, the fat in your brain is not the same as the fat in
your love handles or backside.  Brain fat is structural fat-
-the kind that forms your cell membranes and plays a vital
role in how well your cells function.

Your brain's neurons--the cells that transmit chemical
messages--are extremely rich in Omega-3 fatty acids,
especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). 

But if you're eating anything close to a typical Western
diet loaded with Omega-6 fatty acids and grossly lacking
Omega-3's, your brain is being deprived of what it needs to
function.

This can impair your ability to think, learn and remember.

A pioneering study was done in 1975 with rats where one
group was fed a heavy Omega-6 safflower oil diet, and the
other rats were given a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

When tested in a simple maze, rats that consumed safflower
oil made the right choice only 60% of the time.  But the
rats who ate the Omega-3 heavy diet had a success rate of
90% and over. 

Studies have also been done on humans with similarly
impressive results.

With babies:
=========

In one study, researchers examined 3 groups of babies: One
group had been fed breast milk (which is naturally rich in
DHA); A second group was fed formula but was also given
Omega-3 fish oil supplements, and the third was fed just
formula. 

The breast-fed babies and the formula-plus-Omega-3 babies
had similar scores in brain and visual function tests,
while the formula-only babies had significantly lower scores.

With school-age kids:
=================

Researchers at Purdue University measured essential fatty
acid levels of 100 boys between the ages of 6 and 12.  They
found that the children with the highest levels of Omega-3
fatty acids had the fewest learning disabilities and
difficulties. 


And there's evidence that Omega-3 supplementation is just
as helpful for adults. 

Here's how:

A certain type of brain wave (called a p300) is linked
with learning and memory.  The faster the rate of
transmission, the more efficiently the brain is
functioning. 

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