Eating less is good for the brain
December 27th 2011 11:11
Food remains one of the easiest and simplest joys in life, and it's consistently coming at us in new ways, but it turns out that eating less might help your brain live longer. Like all things in life, this might present a less-than-exciting choice, but the science here, researched in Rome at the Catholic University of Scared Heart, is extremely interesting.
The researchers did studies on mice and discovered that CREB1 is a molecule that activates genes linked to longevity in the proper functioning of the brain. In other words, it activates genes that help the brain work well for longer, and they discovered that this molecule, CREB1, is activated by low caloric diets.
The study hopes to find new ways to activate CREB1, but for now, eating less will do it. A "low caloric diet" changes from person to person but is generally considered about a thirty percent decrease in calories. Honestly, this wouldn't be too hard to hit, if you kick habitually consuming the likes of soft drinks, lattes or chocolate.
Dr. Giovambattista Pani, who led the search, said the results can help "shed light on the correlation among metabolic diseases as diabetes and obesity and the decline in cognitive activities."
Hopefully, Pani's next project can be figuring out how to activate these genes without strict diets, but hell, most of us could stand to lose a few, right?
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