Balanced diet and exercise keep brain and heart healthy

A balanced diet and regular exercise not only protects one from heart disease and cancer, it also helps insure the brain against mental disorders.

“Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain,” said Fernando GÛmez-Pinilla, University of California LA and professor of neurosurgery and physiological science.

“Diet, exercise and sleep have the potential to alter our brain health and mental function, said Gomez-Pinilla. He has spent years studying the effect on food, exercise and sleep on the brain.

“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.”

GÛmez-Pinilla who analysed more than 160 studies about food’s affect on the brain, said that Omega-3 fatty acids - found in salmon, walnuts and kiwi fruit - provide many benefits, helping fight mental disorders like depression and mood disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia.

“Dietary deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids in humans has been associated with increased risk of several mental disorders, including attention-deficit disorder, dyslexia, dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia,” he said, reports Eurekalert. Children who had increased amounts of omega-3 fatty acids performed better in school, in reading and in spelling and had fewer behavioural problems, he said.