{"id":29798,"date":"2022-07-17T16:20:22","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T14:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nutreov.com\/blog\/non-classifiee-en\/elementor-26257\/"},"modified":"2023-10-19T15:05:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T13:05:53","slug":"elementor-26257","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nutreov.com\/en\/blog\/sante-en\/elementor-26257\/","title":{"rendered":"Cerebral activity and diet"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
Poor diet can have a detrimental effect on our physical and mental health. Eating too much fat or too much sugar could actually have a negative impact on our brains! Several studies have been conducted to this end.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t
In our brains, there is an area called the hippocampus, which performs vital functions. The hippocampus is in charge of our emotional and spatial memory. It allows the construction of memories and the storage of information. It is also thanks to the hippocampus that we can have a \u201csense of orientation\u201d, that we are able to find our way around a city or find our way back home.<\/p>
This region is therefore essential for the proper functioning of memory and learning.<\/p>
However, it seems that our Western diet can alter it and even have an impact on its size!<\/p>
In Australia, an experiment carried out on rats fed exclusively on processed food showed that they had difficulty remembering the presence of an object in a given space. Conversely, rats with a better diet behaved differently, remembering the object presented to them.<\/p>
So why does this happen? What happens so that a diet that is too rich can have such an impact on our brain?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/section>\r\n\t\t\t\tSeveral studies (all on rodents) show that such a poor diet (too rich in sugar and saturated fat) activates our immune system. The immune system perceives junk food as a danger to the body and triggers an inflammatory response. The blood-brain barrier, which is supposed to protect the brain from newly-released inflammatory molecules, is also affected by this poor diet. It becomes ineffective, allowing these molecules to infiltrate the brain, damaging key areas such as the hippocampus. Neurons are also affected by this worrying phenomenon.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\tThe immune system is not the only thing to react in our body. The gut microbiota also has a strong link with our diet. Located in our digestive system, our microbiota is made up of billions of microorganisms (yeasts, bacteria, etc.). Its balance is fundamental to our body’s ability to ensure good digestion, an effective immune defence system and functional metabolism.<\/p>
However, a specific diet can lead to a change in the microbiota. For example, a high-fibre diet will promote the richness of the gut microbiota while a high-fat diet low in omega-3 will weaken it and cause certain types of bacteria to disappear.<\/p>
This change in the microbiota can potentially disrupt our habits and guide our food choices.<\/p>
An experiment carried out on flies proved that certain bacteria colonising their intestines were responsible for their food preferences. This is also the case for mammals.<\/p>